You Never Know What You Have
by mo-creature4
Summary: Susen Tobi is a shy writer, attending Hope's Peak Academy. Pre-despair. OC story. (Note: Rated M for harsh language and mature content)
1. Chapter 1

"Today is the day..", she whispers to herself. She puts the final items into her old brown bag and drops it beside her. She slips on her large black hoodie over her gray t-shirt, which matches the color of her converse that were nearly fully covered by her large black pants. As she puts on her dark rimmed glasses, the world comes into focus. She throws the backpack over her shoulder as she walks out of her room, closing the door behind her.

"Susen Tobi! You are not leaving this house without running a comb through that mess of hair!", her mother scolded. Tobi winced at the use of 'mess' referring to her. She retreated to the bathroom nearby.

Her dark eyes met their reflection before continuing to examine. Her fluffy short hair was in a dark tangled mess. An odd noise emitted from her before grabbing the nearest comb and fixing the mess. she popped her head out to her mother with a questionable glance.

"Better?", she asked.

"Much. Now hurry or you'll be late for your first day!", she said handing Tobi her small lunchbox. She snatched it from her hand and gave her a nod before rushing out the door.

Today was her first day at Hope's Peak Academy. She was given a scholarship with the title: 'Super High School Level Writer'. She loves her writing but never thought it would do anything but bring her joy from her fans anonymously on the internet. Somehow, the head of Hope's Peak found her and offered her the chance at their academy. Anxious and excited feelings followed with her on her walk to the large school.

The image of the large tower came closer and closer, the more she walked. Tobi was fairly shy and anti-social, so she wasn't sure how she would fit into the school.

She pulled out the map of the school once her eyes met the entrance. She scanned it and the schedule she was given. She matched the room number from the two papers and made her way in. The school was quiet and seemingly empty. She glanced at her watch to make sure she wasn't late, or early. She was actually right on time. She pondered for a second then continued on her way to her class.

She murmured the name of the room to herself as she glanced at the various door signs she passed. Finally, one matched her schedule. She grabbed the handle, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Various eyes turned to her direction, a few said 'good morning' to the new stranger. She nodded at them in response, taking a desk near the back of the room.

Her eyes scanned the room, examining her new classmates. Most if not all of them were more colorful and elaborate than her. She was very monochromatic in her colors and choice in clothing. Others were in bright colors and accessories to help express themselves. She quietly pulled out her notebook and pen and began writing a rough draft of a new story.

Writing was not only a pastime, but also a calming activity for Tobi. She goes into a sort of trance as she writes, focusing on nothing but what she's writing about. It helps her in times of stress, sadness, and overall negative feelings. It helps her escape from the real world and replacing it with the fictional world, where anything can happen and there is always a happy ending.

'Will I get a happy ending?', she thought suddenly. She had never asked herself that. Her writing hand stopped. The thought had startled her so much that she froze. 'What if I don't?', her thoughts continued. She quickly shook her head and took a deep breath. She didn't like to wander on negative thoughts.

The bell rang to signal the beginning of class. All the students rushed to their desks, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

A slightly older lady walked at the front of the class, resting some papers on the desk.

"Good morning, class. My name is Mrs. Yukai. I will be your teacher. Today since it is the first day, we shall start with introductions. When I call your name, please come to the front and introduce yourself.", she said, lifting a paper closer to her face. "Togami Byakuya."

A large, round man rose from his desk and walked to the front with his arms crossed. He seemed displeased for some reason.

"I am Togami Byakuya. I am Super High School Level Heir.", he said plainly before returning to his seat. Most stared at him expecting him to conclude his statements. He simply glared back.

"Alright..Koizumi Mahiru.", the teacher called.

A narrow, red-headed girl stepped forward with a stride of confidence.

"I am Koizumi Mahiru. I am Super High School Level Photographer. I hope to get to know all of you!", she stated, although it sounded like bragging in a way to Tobi.

The writer returned to her notebook. She didn't want to listen to all the repetition of the introductions. Too much repetition annoyed her. She was back in her trance before she knew it.

She was snapped out of her hypnotism when the girl whom had sat in front of her stood up. Tobi watched her as her long blonde locks followed her trail.

"I am Sonia Nevermind, an exchange student from Novoselic. I am called Super High School Level Princess. Nice to meet you all!", she said with a smile.

A small sound of some sort emitted from the person next to Tobi. She looked over and saw a man in a light green mechanic suit and neon pink hair. He had a large smile on his face, exposing his sharp teeth, looking at the princess.

"So pretty…", he whispered to himself. Tobi giggled a bit to herself.

'Looks like someone has a crush.', she thought.

"Souda Kazuichi.", the teacher said, making the pink-haired boy stand and go to the front.

"I'm Souda Kazuichi! I'm known as Super High School Level Mechanic. Nice to meet you guys!", he said pleasantly, before walking back.

The shy girl was about to return to her story when…

"Susen Tobi.", Mrs. Yukai said. She swallowed her shy feeling and shuffled quietly to the front.

"I-I'm Susen Tobi-", she started quietly.

"Oi, oi, where's your energy?!", a larger man interrupted.

"Huh?", she hesitated.

"Say it again! With feeling! From the pits of your belly!", he said loudly, startling the girl.

"I am Susen Tobi! I'm Super High School Level Writer! Nice to meet you!", she said loudly, ending her words with a humble bow before hurrying back to her seat, hiding in her hoodie.

"Hey, Nidai, maybe you shouldn't have yelled at her. She looks scared to death!", a voice said nicely to the one whom Tobi assumed yelled at her.

"Ahahaha! Sorry! What else would you expect from me? I'm a coach after all!", he responded with a hearty chuckle.

All of a sudden, Tobi felt a large hand on her back. She looked up to see Nidai with a big smile.

"Sorry, Susen! My coach just kicked in! I didn't mean to startle you.", he said in an almost fatherly way that calmed her.

"It-it's alright. You just caught me off guard there for a minute.", she responded with a nervous laugh.

"Ahahaha! Alright then! I'll be much more careful now!", he announced. She simply gave him a nod as he went back to his seat.

"That seems to be all for introductions! Why don't you all socialize for a while? Get to know each other better. By the way, the dorms and whatnot will be assigned at the end of the day.", Mrs. Yukai said before returning to her work. Various people rose from their seats and socialized amongst the other students. Tobi was too shy to try and talk to anyone right now so she enwrapped herself back into her writing.

"Hey, you, Susen.", a voice said. She looked up to see Togami standing by her desk.

"Yes? Togami, isn't it?", she responded while feeling slightly intimidated by the Heir.

"What did you say your talent was?", he said slightly angrily.

"U-um, writer. Why do you ask?", she asked politely. His fist clenched.

"An old...friend of mine was a writer.", he said sensitively, before walking away.

'That was a bit odd…', Tobi thought. 'I wonder what happened to his friend.'

"Hey, Susen, wasn't it? Can I ask you something?", Souda said as he came up to the writer.

"You just did, but sure, Souda, right?" He rolled his eyes at the sassy comment then nodded at his name before continuing.

"Not to be rude or anything but are you a boy or a girl…?", he asked hesitantly.

"Mr. Souda! That's extremely rude!", Sonia said, overhearing the conversation.

"S-sorry! I just wanted to ask and make sure is all! I wasn't trying to offend Susen!", he said, trying to defend his statement.

"It's alright, Sonia. It is better that he asked me rather than going off on an assumption, correct?", she pointed out.

"Hmm, I suppose you are correct… Especially if you have specific preferred pronouns. So may you answer the question for the sake of both of us, I suppose?", she replied.

"I'm a girl and I simply goby she, thank you for asking though.", she replied with a small giggle.

"Alright then! I just wanted to make sure, since you aren't particularly dressed very feminine, nor look so…. Wait! I mean-!", he said.

"Mr. Souda! I believe it is best for you to stop speaking at the moment before you offend Ms. Susen even more!", she commanded.

Tobi looked down at her attire. She didn't blame him for questioning her gender. She folded her arms uncomfortably over her chest, cursing her small chest in her thoughts. Also with a name like Tobi doesn't particularly help the question of her gender.

"It's alright, Sonia! It was a simple mistake! And he's right, I'm not particularly feminine in my personality either so….", she trailed off trying to defend Souda.

"Well, if you're alright with it…", she said with a sigh before going off to socialize with others.

Souda sighed in relief, slumping his previously-tensed shoulders into a slouch.

"Thanks, Susen. I owe you one.", he said to the writer. She giggled.

"With those comments you said in mind, I have to say it might be more than just one that you owe.", she replied, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

He sighed in defeat, knowing she was probably right. He bid Tobi a temporary farewell to go socialize with others.

She wasn't quite sure, but did she make friends? Sonia defended her. Souda came up to her to talk. What about Togami? Did she gain an enemy? Possibly an ally? Maybe a friend? She wasn't sure in the slightest. Nidai seemed to be nice enough to her, even though he kind of scared her.

"Smile!", a voice said before there was a flashing light that blinded her. As her vision returned to her eyes, she noticed it was Koizumi.

"What was that for?", she asked, still stunned a bit.

"I took a picture of course! I want to be able to look back at these moments and cherish them!", she proclaimed.

"Could you possibly delete that one?", she requested.

"Huh? Why?", she questioned angrily.

"It's just...well...I don't like the way I look, so could you please?", Tobi responded shyly.

"Well why don't you fix that with makeup or something?", she asked.

"I just-! Gah! Fine! Don't delete the picture! Whatever!", Tobi yelled. Something caused her to get very mad, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The bell rang once again signalling it was lunch time. Tobi huffed out of anger, grabbed her things and rushed out of the room.

'What made me so frustrated about that?', she wondered, watching the floor as she walked. 'I know I don't like my appearance much, but enough to snap at her? Maybe I have anger issues or something..', she kept pondering. She eventually made her way to the courtyard and found a spot on her own to sit.

She opened her small generic lunchbox, finding basic things. PB&J, crackers, a mini-pack of fruit, and a small bag of nuts. That was just like her mother. Even with it possibly being her last school lunch made by her, it was nothing special.

"Yo yo yo! Can we sit with you?", an energetic voice said. Tobi looked up and saw a girl with multicolored hair holding a small girl in a kimono by the arm, whom was holding Koizumi by the arm. She stared at the bunch for a second before gesturing to the space beside her.

The trio sat in front of her almost making a small circle. Tobi racked her brain to try and remember the girls' names. She knew Koizumi's of course, but the others' were no where to be found.

"Oh! Where are Ibuki's manners! She's yet to introduce herself personally! Ahem… Mioda Ibuki's the name! Super High School Level Light Music Club Member at your service!", she said proudly giving what looked like a bow.

'Well, there's one mystery solved.', she thought.

"Susen Tobi, Super High School Level Writer, nice to meet you, Mioda.", she replied with a soft smile.

"I should probably do the same. I'm Saionji Hiyoko! Super High School Level Classical Dancer!", the small girl said pleasantly. "I suppose you already know big sis Koizumi..considering you snapped at her..", the last part was said in a darker, more intimidating tone. She surely didn't expect that from someone like her.

Tobi's expression faltered to that of a nervous one with a similarly nervous laugh, before returning to her food. The three continued with conversation amongst themselves, while the writer ate quietly. Tobi's eyes wandered to the various groups around the courtyard. One group in particular caught her eye. It was the Sonia girl and a very interesting looking boy. He had black and gray hair and a scar across one of his eyes, along with a very long scarf. Those were only a few odd looking things about him. A bright color caught her attention. It was Souda. He looked as if he asked to sit with the pair. Sonia made a slightly awkward face with a slight shake of her head. Souda's shoulders slumped as he walked off. He came in the direction of their group.

"Hello ladies, may I sit with you all today?", he asked, very politely. The trio exchanged glances for a moment.

"Yes, you may.", Susen spoke up, patting the spot next to her. His face lit up as he made his way to the spot.

"Thanks, Susen, and I'm still really sorry about earlier..", he said rubbing the back of his head before adjusting his beanie.

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't offended.", she said waving a hand. The three ladies went back to their previous conversation, ignoring Souda. "So, Souda, you seem to have a little crush for Ms. Princess over there.", Tobi started, attempting to make conversation.

"Eh? Is it that obvious?", he asked surprised.

"Oh please, I'm sure it's obvious to her.", she replied.

"Dammit! I thought I could be discreet!", he said, getting a giggle from the writer. She quickly caught herself and covered her mouth.

"Sorry, my laugh is kinda odd.", she apologized for some strange reason.

"No, no! It's fine, mine's kinda weird too… I mean-! Not that yours is weird! It's cute! Wait-! Ugh..", he stuttered, making her laugh a bit louder this time. He smiled awkwardly, emitting a light laugh as well.

"I need to teach you how to talk to girls, Souda.", she said. The mechanic groaned and pulled his beanie over his eyes.

"Girls don't talk like guys, so I don't know what to say to them!", he complained, peeking from under his hat. Susen smirked and snatched the beanie from off of his head and put it on her head.

"Stick with me and I'll help you with it!", she offered. He stared at her for a moment. She stared back, observing his layered neon hair. He snatched the beanie back and gave her a toothy smile.

"Deal!", he said happily. Tobi stopped for a moment and stared at him in surprise. "You okay?", he asked concerned.

"Wait, does this make us friends?", she asked, partially shy. He pondered for a moment looking at the sky.

"I guess so?", he replied, not knowing how to properly respond.

"Yes!", she said happily, throwing her hands in the air in success, making many of the students stare at her. She quickly pulled her hands down and pulled her hood over her head. Souda laughed loudly at his new friend's sudden embarrassment. She lifted her hood off and punched his arm lightly. He rubbed the spot and smiled at her.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a good friendship.", he said with a pure smile. Tobi smiled back and nodded. She had definitely made a friend.


	2. Chapter 2

The time of lunch passed as Souda and Susen chatted vaguely, not talking too personally. They made small jokes and asked each others' opinions on various topics. Soon enough, the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. The three girls had left already leaving the two misfits alone. He offered her a hand up from the ground which she gladly took. She noticed that his hand was a little rough and calloused, but still warm and welcoming nonetheless.

"Your hands are really soft.", he pointed out. She assumed he was making a compliment.

"Thanks, yours are really warm.", she replied. The writer enjoyed the warmth against her cold small hands, and was sad when he pulled it away.

He said a word of thanks and the two chatted on their way back to the classroom. A smile was visible on her face. She was filled with pure joy that she had made a friend on the first day. Maybe she wasn't going to be so lonely after all. Souda seemed to enjoy her company as well, giving a pleasant smile back.

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly, filled with mainly introductions and stating rules. Tobi was too anxious to get her dorm. I would be the first time living away from home, and she was ready for the experience. Her and Souda exchanged glances of anticipation as Mrs. Yukai walked to the front of the room. She had a case that had keys attached to small teal bars which appeared to have names on them.

"When I call your names, come get your dorm key. The room number will be written next to your name on the bar.", she said to the class, grabbing a handful of the keys. "Sonia, Tanaka, Togami.", she started.

The three called rose from their seats and grabbed their keys before leaving to find their new homes. The names continued getting called in threes, the room becoming emptier by the minute.

"Mioda, Koizumi, Souda.", she called. The mechanic flashed the writer a smile before walking to get his key. The three left the room soon after receiving their keys.

"Last but not least, Nidai, Owari, and Susen.", she said, obviously happy to be done. The two athletes quickly raced to the front and raced out. Tobi was calmly shuffling and gently grabbed the bar and scanned it while walking out.

As she turned out from the classroom she ran into something, hearing an 'oof!' above her. She quickly noticed that she had run into Souda's chest. She jumped back in surprise.

"Ah! I'm so sorry Souda!", she spouted frantically.

"Hehe, it's okay, Susen. It didn't hurt.", he replied, giving her a smile, while rubbing his chest lightly.

"Oh yeah! I thought you would have gone to your room already. Why are you still here?"

"I waited for you, I mean, we're friends right?", he replied, as if it was obvious.

"Y-yeah! Thanks!", she said happily as they both made their way to the dorm hallway.

"What's your room number?", he asked.

"Umm, 05, yours?"

"Hey I got 06! That means we're right next to each other, right?"

"I think so!"

"Hell yeah!", he said enthusiastically. Tobi emitted a small giggle, enjoying his visible happiness.

The two found their room and agreed to explore them and meet up afterwards. They put their keys in their locks and went in at the same time.

It wasn't anything too glamorous, fairly simple really. It had a single bed with blue covers, a wooden dresser with a mirror, a matching nightstand, a desk, a floor lamp, and a shower room with a sink and a mirror. Simple but lovely, and most importantly, livable.

She looked at the bed and noticed a small name plate. It had a smaller version of herself, black and white, pixel art it seemed. At the bottom of it read her name 'Susen'. She took the plate and placed it on the outside of her door, where it's meant to be.

"Your little character is cuter than mine.", Souda said, leaning on the wall between their rooms.

"Aww, I doubt that. Let me see.", she replied. He gestured to his door, showing his similar name plate. "Liar, it's cute!", she said.

"Heh I'm pretty sure yours is cuter. Anyways, I think the last bell is gonna ring soon."

"Yeah, where is your house?", she asked curiously.

"It's a while off to the left of the school, but I normally head to my dad's bike shop right after school."

"Your dad has a bike shop?", she asked, wanting to know more.

"Yeah, it's kind of a family business type thing. Although it doesn't get much business to be honest. Mainly just people asking for tire inflates and replacements."

"Aww that's sad to hear, maybe I'll come in and buy a bike sometime.", she said hopefully.

"Really?", he said with a big smile. She gave a nod with a small smile back.

Just then, the loud bell rang, ending the day. Tobi put the key in the lock and locked it tightly. Souda did the same, putting the key in his pocket. They both threw their bags over their shoulders.

"So… I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?", she said awkwardly.

"Yeah! You coming early for breakfast?", he asked.

"Are you?", she asked.

"Probably, I'd want a little time to unpack in the morning, y'know?"

"That makes sense, I'll come early too!", she said with a smile.

"Awesome! I'll see ya then!", he said waving as he walked away.

"See ya!", she said. Then it hit her. "Wait, Souda!", she called. He stopped and turned to her.

"Whatcha need?", he said as she ran up to him. She pulled out her phone.

"Your number would suffice. Do you text?", she said handing him her phone. He smiled and put in his number and handed it back to her.

"Text me and tell me it's you okay?", he said happily. She smiled and nodded before giving him one last goodbye as the two parted ways.

The walk home for Susen was pleasant, enjoying the thought of a friend. As she walked in the door she sent Souda a message.

"Hey it's Susen", she sent simply.

"Hey Mom, I'm home!", she called.

"How was it?", she asked.

"Not bad, I think I made a friend.", she replied.

"A friend? I thought something like that would've taken a week at least!", she said. Tobi rolled her eyes and brushed off the intended insult. "So what's her name?"

"Huh?"

"You know, your friend. What's her name?"

"Um, first of all, it's not a girl. His name is Souda Kazuichi."

"A boy? Ooh, do you like him~?", she cooed. As if on cue, she received a text from him.

"Oh hey! What's up?", he replied.

"Not much, just telling my mom that i was lucky enough to gain a friend, how about you?", she typed back.

"Mom, I've only known him for less than a day."

"I'll take that as a no, as of now at least.", she teased.

"I gotta go pack..", she said with a groan.

"I assume you got your room today then?"

"Yeah, and I'm going in a bit early tomorrow morning because Souda and I are unpacking early."

"Should I make breakfast for him too?", she offered.

"We were planning to eat breakfast at the school."

"Tobi, if this is one of the last meals I can make for you, let me, please." The younger girl gave a sigh of defeat.

"I'll ask Souda if he wants it." Her mother's face lit up with a smile, knowing she had won this round.

Tobi continued up the stairs to her mess of a room. She felt her phone buzz, so she pulled it out and looked at it.

"Haha, i did the same with my dad, he's amazed that youre a girl who can tolerate me" The writer laughed at the text before responding.

"My mom was wondering if you wanted her to make breakfast for you too tomorrow", she typed and sent.

She hunted for her big gray suitcase with success. She zipped it open and began preparing piles of the things she wanted to pack. T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, pants, shorts/skirt (she only had one skirt),comfy clothes, undergarments in general, and a few hoodies/coats. Her phone buzzed again.

"Sure! If shes willing to, why not?" Tobi hollered the reply down to her mother who responded delightfully.

"Awesome, also she already assumes that i have a crush on you ugh", she sent back, hoping he wouldn't take that offensively. She shrugged off the concern and continued packing.

The bag was big enough to hold all of her intended clothes and then some, so she added her laptop, it's charger, and some movies that she couldn't live without. With her little bit of space left she added her toiletries and her journal. She quickly pulled it back out and flipped it open and clicked her pen.

"Day 1 of Hope's Peak- Not too bad. I made a friend. His name is Souda Kazuichi. (Super High School Level Mechanic) He's actually really nice. He needs a bit of help talking to girls though. I've decided to write this journal to keep my memories in order. I know how bad my memory can be so I'm making this. Plus, this will be nice to look back on when I'm older.", she wrote, signing it with the date. Her phone vibrated again.

"Heh same with my dad"

"I'm pretty sure all parents jump to conclusions like that"

She brought her attention to her backpack, filling it with school supplies and about three extra notebooks, specifically for writing. Her mind registered something it hadn't before. Every item that she had packed was monochromatic, with the exceptions of her toiletries and her teal glasses cloth. Some would be concerned with the lack of colors, but in fact, it made Tobi more comfortable. She heard her phone vibrate again.

"Yeah, you packing?"

"Yep, and guess what? pretty much everything i own is in a monochrome color"

She decided to put her ringer on to stop the constant sound of it's vibration. It must be a writer's habit to hate too much repetition. She giggled a bit at how many writing aspects have entered her life. Avoiding one word answers as much as possible. Describing people in such detail. Using unique words such as 'suffice' and 'monochrome'.

Her phone sounded with a melodious tone. She smiled at its difference from the past notifications.

"Wow, you might need to fix that, but can you help me with a checklist for what i might need?"

"Clothes for various seasons and occasions, lots of undergarments, toiletries, small entertainment things, chargers w/ said technology, school supplies, anything that may come in handy, comfort items, etc?"

The last option reminded herself that she needed to grab her panda. His name was Punda, which she named when she was about 6 years old. She never wanted to change it. He was given to her when her father had died. Her mother used to call him her 'panda' and so gave one to her. She held Punda in her arms while looking at him sadly. Because it was such a tragic time, she had pushed her memories of her father out of her mind. She regrets that to this day, wishing to remember her father. The soft tone sounded again.

"Okay, thanks a ton"

"No problem, so you got everything?" He responded soon after.

"Besides the things im gonna use tonight or tomorrow morning, i think so"

"Same, whatcha up to now?"

She wanted to continue conversing with her new friend. Her only hope was that she wasn't annoying him too much.

"Not much really, just texting a cool person"

"Oh cool who?"

"Haha! You, smart one!" She could feel his teasing through the text. It only made her smile more.

"Wow, im oblivious, thanks though" Tobi face-palmed herself for her moment of stupidity.

"Dont worry about it, ill probably have oblivious moments too"

The two chatted for the rest of the evening about random subjects, making jokes, simply enjoying the conversation. The girl got her last dinner from her mother for a while, trying not make it tragic or special. Hoping to make it as if any other day. Her mother was her same old self, asking if she had packed everything she needed, reassuring her that she could bring anything she ever needed. She also asked about Hope's Peak, about what it looked like, what the dorms looked like, etc. Nothing was too out of the ordinary from a normal night with the two. Tobi was glad for this.

The evening came to an end not long after. She changed into pjs and curled up into bed. She pulled her panda close to her and closed her eyes. Her excitement for the next day was almost overwhelming, however, her exhaustion from today had been the reason she could sleep. Today wasn't bad at all.


	3. Chapter 3

The alarm from Tobi's phone sounded bright and early as planned. She got up quickly and took a quick shower. Her last things were quickly packed away when she got a text from Souda.

"Good morning, you up?"

"Yep, just about to leave home, how about you?"

She hurried down the stairs with a gray beanie covering her wet hair. Her mother had been up for about an hour preparing the two breakfast packs. Her tired eyes looked up to see her daughter and smiled. The young girl seemed to have a little trouble getting the large suitcase down the steps. Her mother couldn't help but giggle. That sight reminded her of when Tobi was a small girl, trying to carry heavy things with little to no success. When she reached the bottom, she let out a sigh of relief for finally getting it down. The two exchanged smiles before heading to the car. The ride was silent, except for the buzzing of the girl's phone.

"Same, ill wait at the front of the school for you"

"Thanks, and i got breakfast, hope youre hungry"

"Starving actually"

Not long after, they arrived at the large academy. Just as he said, Souda was waiting patiently with his bags on a bench. When Tobi stepped out of the car, she caught his eye and waved at him. He waved back and walked over to the car, as she grabbed her suitcase and backpack from the trunk.

"Need any help?", he offered.

"No thanks, I got this, I think.", she replied. Her mother rolled down her window to look at the boy.

"Are you Souda?", she asked.

"Yes, and you must be Mrs. Susen. It's a pleasure to meet you!", he said very politely.

"It's very nice to meet you as well! Here are your breakfasts.", she said handing him two lunch boxes. "Now may I ask a favor of you?"

"Of course!", he responded quickly.

"Please take care of her when I can't.", she said with a serious tone.

"O-of course!", he stuttered, feeling slightly intimidated.

"Also, remind her to call me every once in a while.", she said pleasantly with a warm smile.

"I will, Mrs. Susen.", he said, relaxing a bit.

"Tobi, come here!", she called to the teen. She walked over to the window. Her mother looked on the verge of tears with a smile still visible on her face.

"M-Mom..", she said sympathetically.

"Be careful, sweetheart. Be strong. Be the young lady I raised you to be.", she said quietly, reaching her and to hold her daughter's face. Tobi held her hand on her face, taking in her warmth, her smell, her touch. The last time for a while.

"I will.", she finally responded, her voice cracking a little.

"That's my girl.", she whispered.

"Don't get too sentimental on me, you know better than anyone that I'm a gross crier.", she said with a joking tone. The older woman laughed and nodded.

"You get the gross crying from me! I suppose you're right… I'll leave you two to it then. And I get to see you for Christmas right?"

"Of course!"

"Good, good… Well, I best be going then. Goodbye, sweetheart. You have Punda right?", she asked quickly.

"Yep, he's in my bag.", she reassured.

"Phew, I'm glad. You better call tonight.", she ordered.

"Don't worry, I will.", she replied.

She started the car again and rolled the window up. Before she drove away she gave a small wave and held up her hand with only her thumb, index, and pinky finger raised. Tobi mimicked the sign back to her as she drove off.

"What does the sign mean?", Souda asked.

"It means 'I love you'. Mom and I hate saying it outloud because it makes us both cry.", she said with a small smile. Souda watched the girl with an expression of slight amazement.

"How about we go inside and eat?", he suggested, still holding the boxes of food.

"Yeah! Let's drop our stuff at our rooms first though?", she suggested. He nodded in approval of the idea and grabbed his bags from the bench.

"So… who's Punda?", Souda asked after a few moments of silence.

"He's a little stuffed panda I got when I was little...when my dad died…" Her words stopped him dead in his tracks.

'Why did I tell him that?', she asked herself in her head.

"I-I'm so sorry…", he said gently.

"Wow, that was really personal of me, sorry.", she said as if the previous topic was nothing, adjusting her glasses as an anxious quirk of hers. "The continuation of that story may come another day."

"I understand.", he said with his curiosity still piqued. He brushed it off and continued walking.

Luckily, they soon got to their rooms, which helped end the awkward silence. They pulled out their keys and unlocked the doors before putting their things inside.

"Alright, now let's go eat.", Susen suggested. Souda nodded with a smile, still holding the boxes the mother handed to him. The pair made their way to the cafeteria where other students had also gathered for their morning meal. They both wandered over to an empty table to eat.

The two boxes of food were identical, except for small notes attached to the top. One of them read 'Tobi', the other read 'Souda'. They corresponded the boxes to the names and opened them up. What was inside was simple but perfect. It held a group of scrambled eggs, a few slices of bacon, two sausage links, and a biscuit. Although, Tobi noticed another thing in her box. It was a small piece of paper wedged in the side of the box. She quickly opened up the folded paper. It was a letter from her mom.

'I knew I wouldn't be able to say this in person without bursting into tears, so I simply wrote it in a letter. Sweetheart, you have made my life so wonderful, and it breaks my heart to let you go, however, I know I have no choice. I want you to experience new things, make new friends, excel in life, so I allowed you to go. Life for me has been difficult without your father, but you've made it worthwhile. You've grown up to be a beautiful young woman. This school will bring trials that will push you to your limits. But it will also help you excel past them. I hope you reach your goals. I have to apologize for those times you may have thought I insulted you. I'm not the best with my words when I'm trying to be the best I can be for you. This is all I can leave you with now. Please remember to call when you can. -Love, Mom'

Near the bottom of the letter there were small drops of some sort. Tears, Tobi presumed. Her eyes were glossy with small tears forming in her eyes. She quickly rubbed her eyes from under her glasses with her hoodie sleeve, sniffling as well. She lifted her head to see Souda watching her with a concerned glance.

"Are you okay, Susen?", he asked in a gentle tone. Tobi cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses before speaking.

"Yeah, just my mom being emotional."

"And you being emotional as well?", he added.

"Hehe, yeah I guess so. Anyways, let's eat!", she said happily. He nodded and the two began cramming the delicious food into their mouths.

Tobi ended up watching Souda as he ate. She was intrigued by him chewing with his unnaturally pointed teeth.

"Is it hard to eat with those?", she blurted out, unintentionally. He stopped and finished his bite of food before responding.

"What? The teeth?", he asked, smiling to point to them.

"Yeah, I mean, they seem like they could hurt or feel kinda awkward."

"Nah, I've gotten used to them. It does hurt like hell if I bite my cheek or lip, sure. Heh, you should've seen me when I first carved them down, brushing my teeth was really odd.", he said with a laugh in his throat. The girl laughed at the mental image of him poking at the new points with a toothbrush in hand. More questions entered her thoughts so she asked them of her new friend.

"So you carved them to the point? Did it hurt?"

"Eh, only a little, it mainly just irritated me afterwards."

The two continued eating with small talk before heading to their rooms to unpack. Souda offered to help her unpack her things, however the thought of him seeing her bras and underwear terrified her, so she politely declined. He didn't question it and went to unpack his own luggage.

The more she organized and unpacked, the more comfortable she felt in the room. A black notebook on the desk. Toiletries in the shower room. Knick-knacks on the dresser with clothes inside. Punda on the bed. It felt like home already. The exhausted girl collapsed on her comfortable bed.

"Maybe I could take a quick nap…", she muttered to herself. Just as she said that, her doorbell rang. It startled her for a moment, before she recalled something saying each dorm had its own doorbell. She hopped up from her spot and opened the door quickly to show Souda, standing there.

"Hey! I just finished unpacking, how's your progress?", he asked. She let him in the room and he looked around at the small visible things that were not tucked away safely, before sitting on her bed.

"I unpacked pretty much everything. I may organize my clothes more tonight."

"Same, would you mind helping me? I hate folding clothes, so some company would be nice.", he said with almost a small pout. He looked like a lonely puppy, it was an adorable sight.

"You don't mind me seeing your underwear or anything?", she asked to reassure herself.

"As long as you don't care, I don't really care. It's not as embarrassing for a guy as it is for a girl, I guess.", he said with a shrug.

"Fair enough, I suppose. That's the main reason I turned you down from helping me earlier. I would prefer if you didn't touch my bras and whatnot.", she said. Souda's face tensed and blushed a bright red at the thought of even touching a bra.

"Y-yeah, that makes sense.", he stuttered, still blushing, trying to erase the thought from his head. Tobi emitted a small giggle at the boy's embarrassment. Souda's eyes wandered and fell on the stuffed panda, picking it up gently.

"So, this is Punda, I guess?", he said, holding it up.

She gasped and quickly grabbed the bear from his hands and held it close, giving him a slight glare. The mechanic stared at her in shock, feeling like he had done something horribly wrong. The girl noticed the look she was giving him and softened it quickly.

"S-sorry, that was kinda mean. He's just really precious to me y'know? It's all I even remotely have left of my dad…", she said sensitively.

"No, no! It's okay, you just startled me a little. If it's not too touchy, can I ask what happened to your dad..?", he replied, his curiosity eating at him.

"C-can I trust you..?", she asked quietly, after a small pause. His face moved to that of confusion then to one of understanding.

"I believe that you can, but ultimately, it's your choice if you want to trust me or not.", he said calmly. Tobi watched him for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"My dad died in an alley after being mugged for money. My mom and I only found out that night after someone passing by found him and called the police. When we had his funeral, my mom gave me Punda. She always called my dad her 'panda' so she gave it to me so I could have him in my memories. Unfortunately, since the time was kind of traumatic for me, I pushed all memories of my father out of my mind and ever since I did that, my memory has been terrible. So all I have left of my father is how he died, what he looked like and Punda…", she blurted out.

When she finished, she wiped a stray tear from her eye and adjusted her glasses. She shuffled over and sat next to Souda on her bed. He wrapped one of his arms around the girl, whom was still holding the panda, and lightly rubbed her shoulder with his thumb. He had just met her the other day, yet now he felt like they had known each other for ages. Susen had the same feeling, it was odd but comforting, and she truly felt like she could trust him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling safe beside him.

Subconsciously, she curled into his chest and hugged him tightly. He was a bit surprised at the sudden embrace but hugged her as well, rubbing her back lightly. he heard a small sniffle from the small girl and noticed her shaking. She started crying softly. He panicked a little. He had never had to deal with someone crying, so he improvised. He lifted her slumped shoulders and gently tilted her head up so he could see her face.

"Hey, Susen...there's no need to cry, but if you need to, I'll be here to comfort you.", he said, using his thumb to wipe away the fallen tears from her cheeks.

When the tears stopped falling, she wiped her face with her sleeves. She took a deep breath and looked at Souda, whom was smiling softly.

"You mean it?", she asked quietly.

"Of course! Why else would I say it?", he said with a happy tone.

Tobi's sad face turned into a smile with red, irritated, eyes. She hugged him again, muttering a quiet 'thank you' into his shoulder.

The two pulled away when the first bell rang, signalling time to head to first period. They both hurried and grabbed their bags, heading to the classroom for their first official day at Hope's Peak Academy.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I changed the rating from T to M due to more harsh language and mature content in the future. For this chapter: TRIGGER WARNING: ABUSE. Enjoy!_

* * *

School was school. No matter how different it may seem on the surface, it's still school. Long lessons of new knowledge, leaving students' minds exhausted, and only adding more to it. This made the day seem to go rather slow, for the young writer and everyone around her. Relief flowed over all of them when the lunch bell rang.

All of them scurried quickly to the courtyard for their daily dose of socializing, and food of course. Tobi immediately went to the same spot as she did yesterday. She sat on the ground, placing her tray in front of her. Her eyes scanned the crowd of people for one face in particular. She spotted bright yellow and pink. A smile came to her face as the sight of Souda came closer to her with a toothy grin.

"Yo!", he said simply before sitting in front of her. He placed his tray before him, just as Susen did.

"Hey! How was your class?"

"Boring as hell. You?"

"Same. I was hoping school would be a bit more interesting in such a pristine academy."

"Me too. By the way, are you better now?"

"What? You mean from this morning?" He gave a small nod in response. "Yeah, I'm good now. And thanks."

"For what?"

"For comforting me and letting me cry."

"Pfft, that's just not being an asshole, but no problem.", he said with a small laugh.

The two began eating in silence, eating ravenously, for their own reasons. Tobi noticed Souda looking behind himself frequently.

"What are you doing?", she finally asked. He groaned a little before answering.

"I wanna look at Sonia, but the hamster hoarder is blocking my view of her.", he said angrily.

"You mean Tanaka? Looks like someone's jealous."

"N-no I'm not! Just…..envious…"

"That's the same thing."

"Fuck you and your knowledge of words!"

"As I writer, I take that as a compliment.", she said with a fake bow. "Anyways, why don't you try and talk to her? Sweep her off her feet!", she encouraged.

"I try but when I try and talk to her, I just… GAH!", he groaned, scratching his head vigorously.

"You're adorable when you're flustered.", she mocked.

"And again, I say fuck you!", he said hiding in his beanie.

Susen bursted into laughter. She couldn't help it. His face was blushing lightly and it got worse and worse, before he just looked like a tomato.

"Aren't you supposed to help me talk to girls?", he reminded, still sounding frustrated.

"From they way you talk to me, I don't think you need any help."

"No, but you're cool and easy to talk to. But I meant like flirty or attractive or something that would make Sonia like me.", his voice was now shy and quiet, completely out of character.

"Hmm… well whatever you do, don't try and imitate Tanaka. The way he talks annoys the hell out of me."

"Noted.", he muttered, making a face of disgust.

"Honestly, just be yourself, compliment her lightly, be nice. That's all I got."

"That's it?"

"Kinda, there's more to it but I don't know how to put it into words."

"Ha, where are your writer powers now?"

"Not here to help you, I suppose."

"Touché."

"I'm not quite sure if that's a proper use of touché.", she said pondering the thought.

"Shut up. I'm attempting to expand my vocabulary."

"Fine, you get a pass on your touché."

"Yes!", he said in victory, making his friend laugh. "Oh yeah, you still up for helping me fold after school?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Sweet! I get company and someone fun to talk to!", he said happily.

"Aww, thanks.", she replied, accepting the compliment.

Souda made a small half-smile, noticing he paid her a compliment, before taking another bite of food. Throughout lunch, he still attempted to look at Sonia behind him. However, he still couldn't through Tanaka's large, elaborate gestures he made. Souda turned back around and pouted at Susen. Seeing a chance, she leaned forward and lightly pulled the stuck-out lip with her finger continuously, imitating what a child might do to themselves. Souda gave her a strange glance before smiling with a laugh. The act was so random and ridiculous he couldn't help but smile.

"What the hell was that for?", he asked, still giggling.

"I don't know, I just saw an opportunity and took it. Plus, I got you to laugh, which is a bonus for me.", she said with a shrug.

"Now I wanna do it to you!", he said. "Try not to laugh.", he challenged.

Tobi did as requested and made a pouting lip. Souda imitated her previous action, smiling like a little kid, seeming easily amused. She didn't last long and smiled with a giggle. People around stared at the two teenaged children and their silly shenanigans. They simply laughed.

"It's hard to not laugh!", Tobi said.

"Right?", he concurred.

The pair enjoyed the rest of their lunch in the company of each other. Soon enough, the bell rang and lunch ended. The two made plans to meet at Souda's room after school. All they had to do was get through the next few classes of agony and lectures.

* * *

Susen nearly fell over while sprinting out of the room when the bell rang. That lesson was so boring, she nearly fell asleep. If it weren't for the eagle-eyed, antagonizing teacher, she would have. She continued running, avoiding from hitting other students, all the way to the front of Souda's door.

She leaned on the wall in between their rooms and slid down it to sit. Tobi had terrible stamina so it took some time to catch her breath again. By the time she stopped panting, she saw her friend, not far off, walking down the stairs. He saw her as well and gave a small wave. She did the same in return, but slightly lazier. He walked up to her and gave her a puzzling look.

"Why are you on the ground?", he asked.

"I ran out of my class to escape the devil teacher and I couldn't catch my breath."

"That makes sense. Have you been waiting long?"

"Not too long."

"Phew, that's good.", he said unlocking his door. "Come on in."

Tobi obliged and got up (with Souda's help), before entering the room and observing. It was very similar to hers, but almost mirrored, also his bed had red covers, instead of her blue.

"Let's get started, shall we?", he said, clapping his hands together.

"Sure! Do you mind if I listen to my music?"

"Why don't you play it out loud? That way it can be background music if we need it."

"Good idea.", she said putting her music on shuffle and letting it play.

Souda pulled clothes out of one of his drawers and placed the pile on the ground. It appeared to be various t-shirts. The two exchanged nods and began folding and sorting clothes.

Occasionally, the mechanic might ask what a song is called or who it's by, and make a mental note to look it up later. They would also make small talk if something made them think of an old story and whatnot.

"You have a very strange variety of music.", he pointed out.

"Ooh, 'variety', good word."

"Shut up, you do."

It was fairly true. Her music artists could go from 'Marina and the Diamonds' to 'Five Finger Death Punch'. Nonetheless, she loved her music.

"Fair enough, but I still like it."

"It's interesting, but good."

They continued their folding to the odd mixture of songs. Tobi would occasionally hum to parts of a song.

"Do you sing?", he asked.

"Badly.",she replied.

"Heh, I doubt that. You're at least a better singer than me."

"See, I doubt that."

"I bet you sing in the shower.", he said quietly, although, she still heard him.

"I do not!", she objected. "I bet you do though!"

"Hell no I don't!"

With this, they both realized how silly they were and both bursted into laughter. They soon continued their folding. They were nearly done, just a couple of more drawers.

"So, how was the end of your school day?", she asked.

"Eh, it was alright."

"Do you have an evil teacher too?"

"Not really, it's just...I tried to talk to Sonia…", he said shyly.

"Really? How'd it go?" He pulled off his beanie and gripped the top of his hair aggressively.

"I fucked it up so badly…", he said with a mixture of frustration and sadness. "I stuttered way too much, it was so embarrassing….fuck…", he swore under his breath.

Susen scooted next to him and rubbed his hunched over back lightly, just as he did that morning. She used her other hand to rub his fists that were gripping his hair. She made them let go of his head and put one of the hands into her small one. He gripped his friend's hand, but not too hard, he didn't want to hurt her. His grip softened as her smooth thumb glided across the top of his hand. Souda felt comfortable and cared for, and that's all he wanted. The mechanic pulled the writer close and hugged her tightly with his arms wrapped around her. She smiled to herself and hugged the warm boy back.

"Thank you…", he muttered quietly.

"You're very welcome, Souda.", she whispered back.

Susen would never admit it, but she adored hugs. So the fact that their hug lasted for a while made her extremely pleased.

Eventually, she pulled away and lightly combed his hair back into place from it's previously stressed state.

"It's a small thing, Souda, don't beat yourself up over it.", she said. He seemed to have slightly winced at the last part of her statement. "Are you okay?", she said, noticing the reaction.

"Yeah, just…"

"Just…what?" He let out a small sigh.

"You know how you told me about your dad this morning?"

"Yeah?"

"Well..I'm gonna tell you about my dad, and it isn't too pleasant."

He escorted her on top of his bed to sit. They both sat across from each other, their legs both in a criss-cross-applesauce way.

"Okay, so when I was little, my mom left my dad, she left me with him because she didn't wanna deal with me. She left him because he was aggressive. Very aggressive. Around when I was 9 or 10-ish, he started using a different form of 'discipline' as he called it. I would call it him being mad at everything and….", he swallowed hard.

"And…?", she persisted with a piqued curiosity.

"And he'd beat me…" Susen's eyes widened and she gasped. "On days that I didn't go to school he'd take advantage of the time and 'teach me a lesson'. I never opposed it because I knew that would only get me in more trouble. No one knows about it, well except for you now, I guess.", he finished, with a shrug.

Tobi was at a loss for words. She had no idea why someone would do that.

"I…", she tried to speak but with no avail.

"I have bruises if you wanna see them.", he said, not fully knowing what to say either.

"Um….", she muttered, not sure how to respond.

"I'll show you anyway.", he said feeling comfortable enough around her to do so.

He unzipped some of his jumpsuit, tying the sleeves around his waist. He slipped off his white shirt, while turned away from her. This revealed multicolored bruises that painted his back. There were some on his arms and shoulders. He turned to show many on his stomach and chest.

She got up from her spot and walked over to him, lightly tracing the bruises with her finger. She had mixed feelings of terror and fascination. She was intrigued by the anatomy from under his skin, but horrified that someone did this to her friend.

"Don't poke'em okay?", he said, watching the girl stare in a trance.

"I won't..", she muttered.

Her hand fell and she stared at his chest, still frozen. Her knees buckled from under her and she fell on the ground, still staring into nothing.

He kneeled down, becoming eye level with the girl. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes until she snapped out of it.

"You okay now?", he asked.

"Yeah, I think so.", she said.

He offered her a hand up, which she happily took. He knew he wanted to cheer her up somehow. He came up with a silly idea.

"So, besides the bruises, how's the view?", he cooed, making a flexing pose, making her laugh.

"It's not bad.", she said with a giggle.

"Aw, c'mon, I know you can do better than that. Describe me like you would in one of your stories!", he requested, enjoying the sight of her smile again.

She scanned him, trying to ignore the wounds.

"Hmm… His build was slim and lean, but his muscles were sharp. Veins were visible on his arms and along his neckline. His back was defined and straight. Bold shoulders. Broad chest. Toned stomach. Wide hips. A sight to savor. How was that for you?", she said, making a mental note of what she said to write again later.

"I expected no less from Super High School Level Writer!", he said with a toothy smile.

"Why, thank you!", she said with a bow.

'I would've added 'eye candy' to that description if it didn't seem creepy.', she said in her mind.

He opened his arms for a hug. She kindly held up a finger to stop him.

"Hm?", he questioned.

"Put your shirt back on so I'm less paranoid about hurting you.", she requested. He laughed and obliged.

She then happily accepted the embrace and smiled to herself. Souda felt relieved that he got to tell her that. He felt closer to her after only one day. His sadness from before had gone away. A small blush brushed his cheeks at the thought of her description of him. He felt flattered.

The dinner bell rang, making the two release the embrace. They smiled at each other before heading to dinner together.

* * *

_A/N: Just a note, in Souda's story, the part of his mother is completely headcanon. I've found no information on his mother so I merely made it as written. Thank you for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

'_Day 2- Very good. Souda and I got to know each other's pasts and now I feel much closer to him as a friend. Classes are still boring as any other school. I still have to call mom though._'

She finished the journal entry and signed it. Tobi then picked up her phone and called her mother. It rang about twice before she picked it up.

"Hi Tobi! Is everything alright?", she said with a worried tone.

"Hey Mom! Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to call you like you asked me to."

"Oh yes! Thank you, sweetheart. So how was your day?"

"Not bad. Classes are still uninteresting."

"Really? I would've expected them to be interesting."

"Me too! That's what I told Souda. And he's the same way."

"How's Souda doing?"

"Good. He and I got to know each other better."

"I really hope that isn't an innuendo for anything."

"Heh, don't worry mom. I just told him about dad."

"Oh okay then. You haven't talked about him in years."

"Exactly, but I trust him a lot so I told him."

"Alright then."

"He told me a bit about his dad too."

"Did his father pass away too?"

"No, he just told me some personal stuff. I feel honored because if I were him I wouldn't tell anyone what he told me."

"So I suppose I don't get to know?"

"Only if I get specific permission from him."

"Well, that's perfectly understandable."

"Thanks, Mom."

"No problem. Well, I should probably let you sleep now, I suppose."

"Yep, only tomorrow, then my first weekend here."

"Yes, I hope you're excited."

"I am. It'll definitely be interesting."

"Good night, Tobi. I hope you sleep well."

"Thanks, Mom, you too."

They exchanged farewells and ended the call. She often thought that her mother pursued her to the academy was because of the word she used so much, 'hope'. She giggled at the thought, before curling in her bed.

She reached and turned off her floor lamp that lit the room. She burrowed into her blanket with Punda in her arms. She closed her eyes and fell asleep soon after.

* * *

The writer was awoken by the ringing of her doorbell. She groaned loudly and quite literally rolled out of her bed. She shuffled through the dark room towards the door opening it. She couldn't see it due to the sudden light from the hall.

"Looks like someone just woke up.", a familiar voice said.

"Souda?", she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Yep! It's a good thing I got you, it's about and hour till first period."

"What?!", she said startled.

She ran over to her bed, grabbing her phone, turning it on. To her misfortune, he was right. She quickly turned on her light and grabbed a towel. Souda walked into her room, closing the door behind him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna shower really quick. You….just sit here, okay?", she said quickly before closing the door to her shower room.

Souda had no time to respond to her so he simply sat on her bed. He listened to the running water and the small surprised 'eep's that emitted from the girl in the shower. He giggled whenever she made the small noise. It must have been subconscious to her because of how often she did it with such embarrassment.

The water soon stopped and the boy heard a sound from the room. 'Ahh!', '*thud*', and 'ow' was all he heard, before the door opened.

Souda turned and saw Susen, still dripping wet from her shower, wrapped in a towel, holding her knee.

"You okay? I heard a thud.", he asked.

"Yeah, I just fell, kinda hard on the ground." She limped over to her dresser, before turning to Souda again. "Would you mind turning around? I'm about to change.", she asked politely.

A blush rose to his face before he nodded and turned the opposite direction.

"Y-yeah, I totally knew that!", he stuttered nervously.

Tobi giggled at his reactions. She continued dressing, feeling an uncanny trust that he would not turn around. She winced slightly at the continuous pain in her knee. She must have hit it hard. The swelling around it told her that skinny jeans were not an option. Sweatpants were much comfier to her.

"Okay, I'm decent, Mr. Blushy.", she joked before beginning to towel-dry her hair.

"I was not blushing!", he objected, turning back around.

"Oh please, your face was starting to match your hair.", she said, flipping her short hair down before returning the towel to it.

"How do you know? Your glasses aren't on!"

"I'm nearsighted, Souda, not colorblind."

He crossed his arms, knowing he lost that battle. She let out a small chuckle before running a comb through her hair. She slipped on a hoodie and pushed her glasses onto her nose.

"Come on, let's get breakfast while they still serve it.", she requested.

"Agreed.", he said standing up and walking to her door.

The two ate their food at a slightly faster pace than normal. Tobi caught her friend staring at her. She looked behind her, expecting to see Sonia or something. She was met with the sight of no one. She turned back to him and gave him a questionable glance.

"What are you staring at?" He blinked and shook his head out of his trance.

"Sorry, the way you look just kinda reminded me of myself before..", he said nostalgically.

"Hmm? How so?"

"My natural hair color is black and it used to be short. I used to have glasses before I switched to contacts, and obviously my teeth weren't sharp."

"Were your eyes brown too?"

"Heh, no they've been as pink as they are now for my whole life. Plus even if they were, how do you think they'd turn pink?"

"Fair enough.", she said, giggling on how she didn't think of that.

The school bell then rang, making the two stare at each other before shoving food into their mouths before running to their classes. Susen nearly did not make it in time due to her limping knee. She made a mental note to go to the nurse before lunch.

* * *

It was just before lunch and her knee was making her paranoid and distracted because of the throbbing pain. She gave up and asked if she could visit the nurse. The teacher gave her a note, letting her hobble to the nurse's office with her bag on her back.

To her surprise and relief she only nearly sprained it. Her knee was wrapped up in tight bandages before the bell rang, giving her a head start towards the courtyard. Alas, the bell rang soon after her depart from the nurse, the halls filled with students. She sighed to herself and made her way close to a wall to lean on as she limped.

"Susen?", she heard behind her. She turned to see Souda looking at her questionably. "Usually you're in the courtyard by now."

"Yeah, I went to the nurse for my knee so I got a bit delayed."

"Is your knee okay?"

"Generally, it's just nearly sprained."

"Oh damn, that sucks. Do you want me to help you walk?" She let out a sad sigh.

"I honestly wish at this point that I didn't have to walk. The pain fucking kills.", she swore.

"I have an idea.", he said happily.

He dropped his bag and walked in front of her, going into a piggyback type of position.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? You hold our bags while I carry you on my back."

The horrifying image of his bruises flashed through her mind, making her shiver.

"N-no way! I mean, I'm heavy, plus our bags-", she tried to say as an excuse.

"Quit whining and get on my back." She let out a sigh of defeat.

"But if I'm too heavy then you put me down, agreed?"

"Fair enough. Now get on!", he nagged.

She swallowed hard and did as she was told. He made a small grunt when standing up straight before walking strongly to the courtyard. He did not seem to be affected by the weight on his back. She pulled herself close to his back for security. As she breathed she could smell his scent. It was comforting and nice. It was clean and had that spicy smell that all men seemed to have. His steps were steady and did not make her bounce uncomfortably. Her ears seemed to only focus on the sound of his steps and the faint sound of his breaths. She suddenly felt sleepy and she laid her head on his back. She smiled lightly to herself, feeling rather comfortable. She felt him come to a stop.

"Please don't be asleep.", he seemed to plead rather than ask.

"I'm not don't worry.", she said, lifting her head.

Souda told her to drop the bags, before he set her down. She did as instructed and soon he placed her gently on the stone ground.

"I'll go grab us some food.", he said.

"Wait!", she said stopping him by grabbing the cloth of his suit.

"Hmm?", he said turning to the girl on the ground, pulling out her wallet.

"Here, so you don't have to buy mine with your money.", she said, handing him some money.

"Oh yeah, thanks.", he said with a nod before walking off.

Susen was left sitting alone, feeling slightly helpless. Luckily, Souda was being so sweet to her. She always hated being sick or hurt so much that people had to do things for her. It made her feel weak and in the way of others. She noticed herself making a sad look and quickly changed it when she saw her friend returning. As he got closer she noticed he had two ice cream pints and two bags of chips with spoons.

"What's with the ice cream?"

"Sweet things always make people feel better, plus I thought the cold of it would feel nice on your knee. Hope you like cookie dough flavor.", he said, handing the cup to her with a spoon.

"Yeah, thanks!" He sat beside her holding the two kinds of chips before her.

"Cheetos or Lays?", he asked.

"Hmm, Cheetos.", she said.

He gave her the requested bag and took the other. They both opened the ice creams and both licked the tops. Susen gently rested the cold cup on her bandaged knee, feeling the coolness through not only the bandages but also her pants. She sighed in a happy relief of the cold feeling soothing her swell.

"So how long is it gonna last?", he asked before scooping strawberry ice cream into his mouth.

"The nurse said a couple of weeks."

"That sucks. You're probably gonna have it when the dance comes."

"Dance?"

"Yeah, the school is hosting a dance next week."

"Hm, interesting, I had no idea."

"I only heard about it today, and I'm already wondering how to ask Sonia to go with me."

Susen nearly choked on her bite of ice cream from her laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just that the fact that that's the first thing you worry about is funny to me, is all.", she said with a giggle in her voice.

"Shut the fuck up!", he said, hiding his face in his hat.

"Your ears are turning red~", she cooed poking him lightly.

"Shut up!", he said, poking her stomach.

She emitted a giggle before widening her eyes.

"Wait...Susen, are you ticklish?", he asked with a devilish smirk, only enhanced by his sharp teeth.

"Uh oh..", she said quietly, knowing she was screwed.

Souda quickly reached with both hands towards her sides, moving his fingers in a tickling manner. The writer was sent into a frenzy of uncontrollable laughter. She tried to push his hands away but with no avail. He was much stronger than one would think. She tried to curl up into a ball to stop him but he still managed to tickle her. She felt like a happy little girl again. The memory of both of her parents ambushing her with tickles to make her giggle with joy of play.

The memory made her closed eyes snap open with a gasp. Souda stopped immediately, thinking he hurt her.

"What's wrong?", he asked gently.

"Nothing! I just remembered something of my dad!", she said with amazement and happiness.

"Really? That's good right?"

"Yes! It's fantastic!", she said, fishing through her backpack for her journal. She pulled it out with a pen and flipped to an empty page.

'_Dad Memory- Mom and Dad tickling me in our first house. Reminded by Souda tickling me ._', she wrote with the date.

"What's that?", Souda asked, looking over her shoulder.

"It's a journal that I'm sorta using as a daily journal."

"So it's like a diary?"

"Not really, I don't put anything too personal or specific in it. It's more of something to keep my memories in."

"That makes sense."

"Yep, and thanks."

"For?"

"For being so nice to me when I'm hurt and helping me regain a memory."

"Oh yeah, no problem. You looked so sad in the hall so I wanted to cheer you up and it seems like I did just that.", he said with pride in his tone.

'I wonder if he's ticklish too.', she thought. She considered attempting it but the thought of touching his bruises still haunted her brain. She decided to save that curiosity for a time when his wounds weren't in her mind.

They continued to eat with small chats, occasionally tasting each others' ice creams or chips. Souda kindly carried her to her next class and agreed to meet her at her last class to help. She could not thank him enough for his kindness to her. Just the thought of him now made her smile.


	6. Chapter 6

That afternoon, Souda did as promised and met Tobi at her last class and carried her back to her room. The two received stares from various other students, questioning the teenagers who seemed to be playing piggyback. They simply brushed them off and kept on with their friendly state. Susen unlocked her room and let her friend in, whom helped her limp over to her bed to sit. She did just that, leaning against her headboard, with Souda sitting on the side.

"So, it's our first weekend here.", Souda mentioned, to start a conversation.

"Yeah, it kinda sucks that I hurt myself, so I can't do much."

"Yeah, that does suck."

The two sat, pouting at her inconvenient pain. Souda leaned over to his friend and played with her pouted lip, just as they did the other day. Tobi was sent into a fit of giggles at the pleasantly familiar action. He couldn't help but smile as well. A light bulb lit up in the writer's mind, making her gasp.

"I have an idea!", she said happily.

"An idea? For what?"

"Our weekend! Well, mainly tonight, but still!"

"What do you have in mind?", he asked with a now piqued curiosity.

"Hmm, okay, I got it. How about we pull both of our mattresses into one of our rooms, get in pjs, and have our own sleepover kind of thing?", she with excitement.

"A sleepover? I've never slept over with a girl before.", he said, thinking out loud.

"I haven't slept over with a guy, so we're even. Plus, it's not like there are any rules against it."

"You wouldn't find it awkward?"

"Souda, I've changed when you've been in the room. I think we are past awkward."

"True, true. What movies do you have in mind?"

Tobi leaned over to her desk and opened one of the drawers. She pulled out multiple DVD cases and rested them on her bed.

"Whichever you wanna watch.", she said proudly. Souda gave her a grin of joy.

"Alright, I'm in."

Susen shot her hands up in victory. They both discussed the details out and planned out fun additions as well. They both moved the mattresses from their bed frames to Tobi's floor, gathering blankets and extra pillows in the process. They both went to dinner (her attempting to walk this time) and bought sweets and popcorn from the store on their way back.

"I should probably mention..", Souda started.

"Mention what?"

"I sleep just in my boxers, is that too awkward? Cause I can wear actual pjs if you want me to."

"Eh, I don't care, I've already seen you shirtless anyway. So as long as it's not awkward that I don't sleep in a bra."

"Girls don't sleep in their bras?", he asked in astonishment.

"Unless medical stuff says otherwise, no. They're really uncomfortable."

"Well, in that case, I don't care, go ahead."

"Thanks, um hey, one more thing."

"Hmm?"

"Can you help me re-bandage my knee?", she asked, sitting on the ground with her pant leg rolled up.

"Yeah, sure, what do I have to do?", he said, walking over to her.

"Just undo it and rewrap it but a bit tighter." He nodded and did so, getting a wince from her.

"That good? It seems like it's hurting you."

"Nah, it just pushes on the swelling a bit, but I'm fine."

"Okay, just let me know if I need to loosen it later."

"Will do", she said with a smile and a nod.

"Alright, shall we get into pjs?", he suggested.

Susen nodded. He helped her up from the floor, assisting her to her dresser to grab her pajamas, before hobbling to her shower room to change. This left Souda in her room. He nonchalantly unzipped his suit and slipped off his shirt. It didn't take him long, so he walked over to her dresser and looked in the mirror. He noticed that his bruises were fading. They were only pale yellow spots by now. He rested his hands on his hips, observing his own figure. Unflexed, he still had a lean figure with faint definition along his chest and arms. His stomach was flat, except for the small hints of abs along that area. He continued to look but flexed his chest and stomach. Along his collarbone, it was obvious what part was flesh and what was bone. A full six pack appeared on his stomach, making him feel more confident. His hip structure was wide but it seemed to compliment his features even more so.

"Enjoying yourself?", Susen said with a giggle, watching him from the doorway.

"H-how long have you been standing there?", he stuttered with a blush dusting his cheeks.

"Right about when you flexed your muscles.", she said with a small smirk.

"Ehehehe…", he said as a nervous laugh.

"Oh good, your bruises look like they're healing.", she said with a relieved tone.

"Yeah, it looks like that.", he agreed, looking back in the mirror.

The sudden returning thoughts of his father, giving him those bruises, raced back into his mind. He looked down at his hand, gripping it into a fist. He dug his nails into his palms, due to his frustration. Tobi's eyes widened, and she quickly hopped over to him and grabbed his arm. She traced her fingers lightly over his forearm. Souda looked at her confused, before noticing that she was mesmerised by his veins, slightly popping out from his skin. He let out a small chuckle at her actions. She then snapped out of it and quickly let go of his arm.

"Wow, that was random, sorry.", she apologized.

"Heh, it's okay, you seemed to be enjoying my veins."

"Yeah, I love the way veins look through skin, well, more of general anatomy through the skin, it seems.", she said timidly. He smirked as he came up with an idea. He tugged off his beanie and put it on her head.

"Hold on to your hat, miss, here comes your anatomy through the skin.", he cooed.

He continued by flexing in many ways, and in various positioning, stretching and flexing his muscles. The writer widened her eyes so she could take in more of the sight. It was simply exquisite and beautiful to her. At times like these, she wished she was an artist, able to draw something like the way Souda looked at that moment.

He turned to show off his back, stretching his arms so that his joined hands met the base of his neck. She limped closer to him and traced his back muscles and his defined spine and shoulder blades. She felt like a kid in a candy store. His triceps were tight looking and gorgeous. She was in heaven, especially being able to touch the breathtaking sight.

"Beautiful..", she muttered quietly, still entranced. The mechanic heard and it made his eyes widen.

"Really..?", he asked quietly.

The girl nodded. He rested his arms, letting her continue to explore his torso. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He had never been complimented that much. In his earlier days, his father insulted him. In his past school days, he was picked on for being ugly and shy. To be called something as wonderful as 'beautiful' made him nearly cry of happiness. He smiled to himself, enjoying the word coming from her mouth. Her small cool hands made their way to his chest. She took a moment to rest her hand to feel his heartbeat and breathing. She traced his collarbone, enjoying its sight. She was about chest-height to him, so she easily rested her head on the area, still feeling his rise and drop of breath. Her fingers lingered towards his stomach, tracing it gently. He flinched slightly at the touch.

"Does that hurt?", she asked cautiously.

"No, no, it's just.."

"Are you ticklish?", she asked, with a hidden smirk on her face.

"Oh shit..", he said, confirming her beliefs.

She smiled more and began tickling him, just as he did before. He laughed loudly, tickling her back. The battle began. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, startling her. She reached her arms and hit his butt, making him yelp.

"What was that for?"

"Anything goes!", she yelled, hitting his butt again.

"In that case..", he said devilishly.

He walked over to the mattresses and tried to gently put the thrashing girl on them. He grabbed her fists in one hand and tickled her with his other hand. Tobi used her good leg to push him over on his side before sitting on his stomach quickly. She had to use both of her hands to hold down his.

"Gotcha!", she said proudly.

"Not for long.", he said.

He moved his arms outward, making her lose her balance and fall on him with an 'oof'. She propped her chin up on his chest to look at him with a pout.

"No fair, you're stronger."

"'Anything goes' remember?"

"Oh yeah.. I guess you win then."

"What do I win?", he asked.

"I dunno, a favor?", she said with a shrug.

"Fair enough. I'll take it."

"You smell really nice, wow.", she finally said out loud.

"Really? Thanks.", he said happily. She rested her forehead back on his chest, enjoying his smell.

"So what're we gonna watch, Mr. Smell-good?"

"Can I look at your movies again?"

She lifted herself off of him and grabbed the disc cases from her mattress. She had various Disney movies, superhero movies, classics, etc.

"Pick two, since it'll probably be really late after that."

"Hmm, I've never seen this one.", he said, picking up one of the movies. Tobi's jaw dropped.

"You've NEVER seen Pocahontas?!", she asked in disbelief.

"Nope, all I know is is that it's historically incorrect."

"Well, yeah, but it's still an awesome Disney movie. So we're watching it!", she said, putting the case to the side. "Any others that catch your eye?"

"Is this the one that basically all of it is singing?", he said holding up Les Miserables.

"Hehe, yeah it is. But it's really good."

"Okay, we'll watch this one too then.", he said, adding it to Pocahontas.

"Your choice, so why not? Let's start!"

She set up her laptop in front of their beds, putting the first movie in. They both huddled close to the screen with pillows and blankets. During Pocahontas, Tobi new all of the songs by heart and lip synced to them. Souda occasionally watched her as her eyes lit up at certain moments and how passionate she seemed about the story. By the end of the movie, she had a big smile on her face. It was one of the classics she never got enough of.

"What do you think?", she asked, unable to read his facial expression.

"I think that she should've gone with him. But other than that, I liked it."

"I'm glad.", she said with a small giggle.

"You ready for junk food?", he asked anxiously.

"Hell yeah!", she said equally excited.

They pulled out the various candies and sweets and laid them out to share. Susen put Les Miserables and decided to warn Souda.

"Uhh, just a warning, I cry a lot during this movie."

"Huh? Why?"

"It just gets to me, I'm not sure why. But just don't freak out if I start tearing up or anything."

"Good to know.", he said, already entranced into the movie as it started.

Just as she said, the ending got to her and she cried a little bit, even in her tired state. The screen faded into the credits, playing tunes from the movie with the millions of scrolling names.

"Wow", was all he muttered.

"Did you like it?", she asked, wiping away stray tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, it was good. Although there is something I don't like."

"What didn't you like?", she asked with a worried tone.

"The fact that that Marius guy had gorgeous Eponine around him like a lot, who loved him, and went to a girl he saw for like two seconds! That makes no sense!", he said passionately.

"That's exactly what I thought when I saw this!", she said in agreement.

"But other than that, I really liked it. Thanks for showing it to me.", he said with a smile.

"No problem.", she said with a yawn.

"Tired?", he asked, rubbing her back lightly.

"Yeah, today's been a long day."

"Same here. Let's sleep then. The more sleep the better."

"Yeah..", she said softly.

Souda looked to her and opened his mouth before closing it quickly, as if he wanted to say something.

"What is it?", she asked.

"What's what?", he said as if he never did his previous action.

"Oh please. It's obvious you wanted to say something, so what is it?"

"Well...it's just kinda odd..", he said awkwardly.

"So? What is it?", she persisted. He let out a sigh of defeat.

"Okay, well I'm gonna use that favor from you I won.", he started.

"Really? Okay, what do you want me to do for you?" He took a deep breath.

"Okay, we're friends, right?"

"Yeah, why?" He took another deep breath in and closed his eyes in a pleading manner while speaking.

"Will you be my first kiss?", he said quickly, blushing brightly. Tobi's face turned into one of shock.

"Huh?", was all she could say. He peeked one eye open, waiting for her response. "But I thought you liked Sonia?", she asked as calmly as she could.

"Yeah, I do, but I've never had my first kiss and...I really trust you..", he said shyly. "You can say no if you want to…", he continued with a sad tone.

Tobi adjusted herself to sit up, facing him. She took a deep breath.

"Sure, why not? Make me swoon, mechanic.", she said teasingly.

She wasn't quite sure why she said yes, but she did. It was completely platonic, right?

"Really?",he asked, receiving a nod from her. "Okay, um..close your eyes.", he asked.

She did as asked and sat and waited. She felt Souda's warm hand cup her face gently. She felt his forehead on hers for a moment, before he closed the gap.

His kiss was gentle and innocent, but he moved his lips against hers. She moved with him, feeling her heart jump in her chest. He soon pulled away and stared at her. She did the same back to him.

"Not bad for your first kiss.", she commented with a small smile, feeling her cheeks get warm.

"Really?", he said happily with his eyes shining.

"Yep, although you do taste a bit like chocolate.", she said, pointing to the empty chocolate wrappers near him. He laughed nervously a bit.

"Sorry if this makes it awkward but, your lips are soft..", he said shyly.

"Aww thanks.", she said gratefully. "Well, we oughta sleep I guess.", she suggested.

"Yeah, agreed.", he said, rolling over in his covers.

Tobi did the same and shut her laptop. She rested her glasses on her nightstand and laid down comfortably. As comfortable as she was, something kept her awake. The thought of the kiss ran past her mind again, making her blush in the darkness.

'Why am I blushing?', she thought to herself. 'It was just a favor, right? Definitely platonic. Then why is my heart beating so fast?' Then a thought crossed her mind that she didn't think was possible.

'Do I have a crush on Souda? No no no. He likes Sonia. Am I jealous of her? Maybe. Ugh, I don't know what I'm thinking. But, I did like his kiss...'

Thoughts rushed through her brain at a million miles per hour. Her heart battled with her thoughts, before resting at a conclusion.

'I like him...a lot...', she thought, before finally being able to sleep.

_A/N: Just sayin' I dont own Les Mis, Pocahontas, or Disney, I just thought i'd use them in this chapter. Please review! I love to have feedback!_


	7. Chapter 7

The morning light flowed from the windows into her room. The light met her eyes, disturbing her sleep. She began to awake with a slight groan, rolling over, only adding more light to her closed eyes. She let out another groan and stretched awkwardly. She let out a yawn, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She sat up and grabbed her glasses from her nightstand, before sliding them up her nose. With her eyes still squinted, she looked around the room. It was a mess of blankets, pillows, wrappers, and other miscellaneous things. To her confusion, Souda was nowhere to be found. She peeked around her bed frame, noticing the shower room door closed. She listened carefully and heard the water running with quiet humming. He must have been in there.

She patted down her hair from its crazy directions, back to normal. The events of last night flooded back into her brain. The tickle fight, the movies, the sweets...the favor. Her face started to blush at the last memory. She recalled her last thoughts that night, which means that she made a recipe for disaster for herself. She liked him. She quickly pulled out her journal and clicked her pen.

'Day 3- Turns out I nearly sprained my knee. Souda and I planned a sleepover in my room. It was really fun. Then, he asked for a favor...a kiss. My thoughts and feelings are in turmoil.'

She wrote in her journal quickly of the previous day and slid it back away. The remembrance of her knee made the pain come back. She held it gently, feeling the aches from the swelling. The sound of the running water soon stopped. She opened her laptop and went to an unfinished document she had saved, pretending to be working on it.

The door of the shower room opened, sending the smell of shampoos and body washes into the room. She quickly covered her eyes with her hand before pointing in the direction of her friend.

"Please tell me you are covered.", she pleaded. He let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I got a towel.", he reassured.

She peeked cautiously from her covering hand. He was in a towel. Just a white towel, holding it by the side.

"Whew, good."

"Whoops!", he said, letting go of the towel.

Tobi covered her eyes quickly, letting out one of her 'eep's. Souda started laughing hysterically.

"I'm just messing with you! I have boxers on, no worries.", he said, still laughing.

"You dick..", she muttered, glaring at him with a red hot face. It was redder from blush rather than anger.

"Aww, you're blushing. How cute~", he cooed, walking over to her.

"Shut up! No I'm not!", she denied.

"Admit it, you think I'm hot~", he sang, with a smile plastered to his face.

"Shut up and help me up.", she demanded, holding out her arms.

He took them and pulled her up gently. She straightened out her clothes before crossing her arms. She looked up at him, observing his features. The one thing that stuck out to her was that the top layer of his hair went diagonally upward from his head.

"Does your hair always do that?", she asked pointing to it.

"Yeah, it does. It's kinda like a huge cowlick.", he said laughing. "That's the reason I wear my hat all the time."

"Why haven't I ever noticed it before?"

"Dunno, possibly my hat hair makes it less obvious?", he said with a shrug. She shrugged as well.

"Well, do you wanna go to your place so you can get clothes? I want breakfast."

"Sure, I'll run over there while you get dressed. Sound good?"

She nodded and they went to get proper clothing on. Tobi also decided to run a comb through her hair and whatnot.

He, soon enough, came back to get her. The two walked to the cafeteria, noticing the lesser amount of students than normal. They most likely were still sleeping. Their meal together seemed slightly awkward for some reason and Tobi wanted to know why.

"Did you sleep well?", she said, attempting to make conversation.

"Yep, how 'bout you?", he asked back.

"Same. Any dreams?"

"Not really. A few little nightmares though."

"Nightmares? What of?" He shrugged at the question.

"Just little things, I guess."

"I'm sorry you had nightmares…", she muttered sympathetically.

"Don't worry about it, I get them a lot. They don't phase me much anymore."

"Whenever I had nightmares, I would find my mom and she would comfort me or do whatever I asked.", she said for no apparent reason.

"Hmm, that sounds nice..", he said, almost enviously.

"If you want, you can come get me whenever you have a nightmare. I can try to comfort you and whatnot.", she offered.

"Nah, I wouldn't wanna wake you up."

"Souda, I want to help you, and I can't do that if you don't give me a chance.", she said, looking him straight in the eyes. A small smile tugged on his lips.

"Thanks, Susen.", he said quietly.

"Anytime, Souda.", she said with a smile as well.

The two continued their eating, now feeling slightly less awkward. They laughed and talked, just enjoying each others' presence. A little voice was nagging at the back of the writer's brain.

'You like him. You have a crush on him. But guess what. He likes someone else. Not you.', it kept saying.

She bit her lip and ignored the voice as much as she could. She knew it was true but tried to think it wasn't. Which part did she want to not believe? She didn't know herself. Her mind moved to what she could do that day.

"Any plans today?", Souda asked, taking a bite of food.

"I was just gonna ask you the same thing. I might write something, I don't really know."

"Would we wanna do something together?", he suggested.

The sound of the word 'together' burned into her mind. She shook off the feeling, thinking of what they could do.

"Good idea. But the question is, what should we do?"

"Hmm, I don't know yet."

"Yet?"

"Yes, yet."

Tobi giggled lightly and the two began brainstorming. They wrecked their brains, trying to think of something fun to do. Souda let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?", she asked.

"I just thought it was kinda funny how when I first met you, I thought I offended you so badly by saying you looked like a boy. I was like 'well there goes a chance at making a friend'. And a few days later, we're practically best friends!", he said with a pleasant smile.

"Heh, I guess it is kinda funny.", she said, smiling at the happy thought. "I'm glad that it worked out this way.", she added.

"Same.", he said with a toothy smile.

Tobi slid her phone out of her pocket and quickly checked the time. The date caught her eye.

"Woah is this really today?", she said, holding up her phone to Souda.

"Yeah, why?", he asked.

"I gotta do something today.", she said, shoving some food in her mouth.

She quickly gathered her trash and headed over to the trash can. Souda hurried and caught up with her.

"What's the rush? What is it you have to do?", he asked, confused.

"Do you have a bike or something here I can borrow?", she asked, avoiding the question.

"Yeah, but I'll only let you use it if you let me come with you."

"Why?", she asked, slightly irritated.

"For one thing, you're still weak on your leg, so it would be smarter to let me pedal the bike. And for another, I wanna make sure you don't get into trouble, okay? You're my friend and I care about you.", he said with a serious tone, holding her shoulders. She let out a small sigh.

"Fine, but I have to do something before we go, so just wait for me or something.", she said finally.

"I'll be in my room when you're ready.", he said with a triumphant smile.

The two parted to their rooms for preparations of the mystery event of the day. Souda wondered what it could be. Susen was obviously worked up over it. It must be important. But why didn't she just tell him what it was? He presumed he'd find out soon enough. His doorbell rang soon enough and he quickly opened it.

There stood the writer, but something was different. She held a bouquet of paper roses in her arms.

"Let's go. It looks like it's gonna rain so we should hurry.", she said.

Souda gave her a nod and led her to where his bike was. Susen situated herself onto the handlebars, letting Souda steer the bike. She gave vague directions to the location with a stern tone.

"Here.", she said after a while.

Souda let out a small gasp. It was the graveyard. When he had slowed down, she hopped off the bike and hurried as fast as her knee would let her. Souda quickly parked the bike and ran after her. She made many turns throughout the paths, scanning the graves with a determined look. She finally stopped at the last grave on the path and kneeled before it. Souda stood behind her, noticing the name 'Susen' on the stone.

"Hi Dad.", she said quietly to the grave, placing the paper roses in the flower cup. "I know I didn't visit you last year, so I made an extra rose this time. I joined Hope's Peak Academy, isn't that amazing! Mom is really proud of me, and I hope you are too."

Souda slid off his hat in respect for the grave. He joined his hands and gave a silent prayer for her father. The wind blew aggressively.

"Don't be worried about him, Dad. He's my friend. His name is Souda Kazuichi. I've told him about you." The wind calmed some, but the sound of faint thunder was in the distance. "Look at what I brought you.", she said.

She pulled out a piece of white chalk from her pocket and began drawing in front of the grave. Souda peeked over her shoulder and saw that she drew a small panda.

"Souda helped me remember something about you. It was you and Mom tickling me. I'm glad I remembered it.", she said with a crack in her voice.

Souda saw a small drop of water fall on the panda. It wasn't rain, it was Susen's tears. Sharp breaths and sniffles blocked any words she wanted to say.

"I wish you didn't go, Daddy.", she said weakly in between sobs.

The sound of her weeping 'Daddy' to the grave broke Souda's heart to pieces. Tears brimmed his eyes as well. Small raindrops began falling to the ground before more and more came. He kneeled beside her and gently rubbed her back. He let her cry. He also let himself shed a few tears. He hated crying, but seeing his friend in such a saddened state broke him. The rain began to fall harder as Tobi fell silent. The rain made her clothes and hair cling to her body.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take care of her.", Souda said, breaking the silence.

Tobi looked up at him with teary eyes and raindrops on her glasses. She hugged him quickly, clinging to him. He hugged her close as well, lightly petting her hair.

"C'mon, Susen. If we stay out in this rain, we'll get sick.", he suggested.

She lifted her head and wiped her tears away with a nod. He stood up, slipping his hat back on. She lifted her arms asking for help up. He smirked and picked her up in a cradling-fashion. She didn't oppose it, in fact, she curled into his warm chest to escape the cold rain. He smiled at the small girl and how cute she looked.

When they reached the bike again, she hopped out of his arms and took her place at the handlebars. He hurried as well, wanting to escape the weather. They raced back to the academy and quickly went inside.

"Let's get out of our wet clothes and head to lunch?", she suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Hey, are you okay?", he asked.

"I am now, thanks.", she said before going in her room, eager to change clothes.

Souda did the same. He still worried about her though. She seemed so sad and lost and he felt helpless to her in that state. He slammed his fist on his dresser in his sudden rage.

"How can she thank me when I feel like I did nothing?", he asked himself.

It became evident how much he cared for his dear friend on that day.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This was kind of a quick chapter, sorry for the shortness ^^;

* * *

The two met back up after changing from their drenched clothes. They both headed to lunch, since the time was right. Many students were inside the cafeteria already, eating in their respected groups. Tobi scanned the room but was interrupted by a call from a voice.

"Susen! Souda!", the voice said.

They both turned in the direction of the voice. It was Sonia, dragging Tanaka by his arm. She was waving at them and stopped them.

"Hey Sonia, what's up?", Tobi said, seeing that Souda was entranced in Sonia's presence.

"Tanaka and I were wondering if you two would want to join us for lunch!", she said pleasantly, flashing an adorable smile.

"The Dark Gods of Destruction have requested me to make bonds with more of the mortals here. Miss Sonia recommended the two of you.", Tanaka preached in his usual tone.

"Sure, why not?", she said before nudging Souda. "Right, Souda?"

"Uh, y-yeah! Sounds nice!", he stuttered, avoiding Sonia's eye contact.

"Lovely! Shall we get our food then?", the princess suggested.

The three of them agreed and followed to grab their food. They did as they always did and found an empty table to sit at. Susen and Souda sat on one side with Tanaka and Sonia directly opposite. For the most part, they all sat in silence. Souda was busy being hypnotized by Sonia's royal eating patterns. Susen felt slightly awkward in front of Tanaka. He stared at her, as if watching her, while feeding his hamsters. His bicolored gaze seemed to pierce her being, making her feel uncomfortable.

"So...what have you guys been up to today?", Tobi asked, breaking the silence.

"Tending to the Dark Gods of Destruction's needs, of course! However, most of the humans here do not acknowledge the priorities of earth's blessed creatures!", the breeder seemed to complain.

"I watched and assisted him in taking care of them! They are very cute and nice when you get to know them.", Sonia commented with a gleam in her eye.

"T-thank you…", Tanaka said, hiding his blush in his scarf.

Just then, one of his hamsters raced down his arm and grabbed one of Tobi's cherry tomatoes. It sniffed it before nibbling on it gently.

"The Gods have accepted your offering to them.", the breeder deduced.

"Is that a good thing?", she asked.

"Indeed. A ritual will be performed soon to bring you good luck and joy."

"Okay then…", she said, finding his reasoning crazy.

"What did you two do today?", Sonia asked.

"That's up to Susen to tell.", Souda said, not wanting to just blurt out her personal event.

"Oh? Why is that?", she asked.

"It's just kinda personal, I suppose.", the writer responded. "We went to my Dad's grave today."

"Oh my goodness! I'm sorry for your loss.", she said with a gasp.

"It's okay. He died when I was young, so…", she added.

The hamster that ate her tomato scurried up her arm to her shoulder and gently licked her face. It then scuttled back to Tanaka.

"He says he tastes the salt of tears. Did you mourn?", he asked.

"I mean, yeah. He's my Dad.", she said with a shrug.

"I tried to comfort her.", Souda said hesitantly, trying to be a part of the conversation.

"And that you did.", Susen confirmed, with a smile to her friend.

"That's very kind of you, Souda.", Sonia said with a smile.

"I try.", he said with a shrug.

The group talked about various random things. The atmosphere was still awkward though. Susen and Souda were the misfits while Sonia and Tanaka seemed to be very proper and had a royal aura to both of them.

"So have you guys heard about the dance?", Souda mentioned.

Tobi knew exactly what he was doing. He was planning to ask Sonia to the dance. Susen shrugged off the jealousy and tried to feel happy for her friend.

"Yes! It sounds like a wondrous idea!", the princess said excitedly.

"I think so too! So, has anyone asked you to go?", he asked, feeling a wave of confidence.

"Of course! Tanaka asked me yesterday.", she said with a small blush.

Susen winced. That must have hurt him. She looked over and saw a saddened look in his eye.

"Oh… Well that's nice of him, I suppose.", he said with a disappointed tone.

Those words must have tasted bitter. Susen came up with a quick idea.

"Oh Souda, I need your help with something.", she said quickly.

"Hmm? What is it?", he asked, still sounding sad.

"I'll tell you on the way, c'mon.", she said, walking to the trashcan.

He quickly followed her, still confused. She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the cafeteria.

"Susen, what is it you need help with?", he asked while being dragged.

"Nothing. I just can't stand seeing you in such a sad place, so I'm taking you to my room to cheer up."

He didn't protest and simply followed behind her to her room. She pulled him into her bedroom and told him to sit on her bed, which he did.

"I'm fine, Susen. Really.", he said.

"You're a terrible liar, Souda.", she said straight to his face.

He slouched his shoulders and put his face in his hands.

"Sorry…", he said, the sound muffled through his hands.

"For what?", she asked.

"I dunno. Being a desperate dumbass?"

"Dude, don't feel that way. I'd be the same way if my crush did that to me."

"Wait.. you have a crush? Who is it?"

"What? Oh.. I'm not telling you. Anyways, that's not what's important right now."

"Don't tell me it's the hamster hoarder."

"Ew, no."

"Heh, okay then."

"Anyway, what can I do to make you happy again?"

"I dunno. Help me avoid Sonia for the rest of my existence?"

"Wait, you're just giving up?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'd find that a good enough of a rejection."

"Oh no you're not. You said the dance was a good idea to her right? So go to the dance and sweep her off her feet!", she encouraged.

Souda's sad face pondered the idea for a moment. His tightened face loosened and looked up at Susen with a face that screamed 'eureka'. He clapped his hands together.

"I got it!", he proclaimed.

"Got what?", she asked.

"You!"

"Me?"

"Yes you! You go with me to the dance as my 'date' and then you distract Tanaka, while I swoon Sonia!", he said with a big smile, putting air-quotes around the word 'date'.

"A formal dance? Nuh uh."

She enjoyed the idea of it, honestly, but she didn't like the thought of being a fake date to her crush.

"Aww, c'mon, Susen. Please? It'll make me happy, just like you wanted?", he asked with a pout.

His face was adorable and needy. She could hardly bear it. She let out a large sigh.

"I can't dance, y'know."

"Neither can I! We can both learn!"

"Fine, but only for you.", she said in defeat.

He shot his arms in the air in victory.

"Yes! Thank you!", he said with pure happiness.

"You owe me.", she said quickly.

"I can live with that.", he said with a smile.

"And I have to get a dress….dammit…", she swore quietly.

"Hey, I gotta get a suit.", he said with a shrug.

To be honest, she was looking forward to him in a suit. She was looking forward to possibly dancing with him.

Later that night, she thought about it more. She realised that it would be a torture to her. She wasn't his real date. She was just there so he could get with another girl. Her heart sunk a little. She tried to look on the bright side, but failed to find one. She pulled out her journal and wrote an entry.

'Day 4- I visited Dad's grave with Souda today. Also I was volunteered to be his fake date for the dance next week. I'm not sure how to feel about it.'

She shut the journal and slid it back on her desk. She buried her face in Punda's fur, trying to escape her negative emotions. She curled into her bed and flicked off her light. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep but only to be stopped by a wretched thought. She asked herself the dreaded question again.

"What if I don't have a happy ending?"


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I really suck at time skips but this chapter is set the Thursday before the dance.**_

* * *

It was a day before the dance. A day before Souda's plan went into motion. A day before Susen's heart would hurt. She had totally forgotten to call her mom for about a week. So, she quickly picked up her phone and dialed her mother's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Susen Tobi, it's been a week since you've called me, young lady.", she answered in a concerned tone.

"Sorry Mom, school's been busy."

"It's alright, dear. But how are you? What's going on?"

"Not too bad, but I need your help. The school is having a dance and I don't have a dress."

"I know you don't have a dress, but I thought you always hated school dances?"

"Yeah, I did. But I was asked this time, so-"

"Who asked you?", she said excitedly.

"Souda and I are going, but as friends, y'know?", she clarified.

"Just friends~?", she cooed.

"Yes, Mom. That's not the point. I need a dress!"

"I'm off work today, why don't we go shopping this afternoon?"

"Sounds perfect!"

"Good! I'll prepare for you!"

"Thanks a lot Mom! I'll see you after school then?"

"Of course! I'll text you when I'm driving to the school, okay?"

"Okay, thanks! I'll see ya!"

They exchanged goodbyes and hung up. Tobi was slightly excited to go shopping, which is odd for her. She normally dreaded the experience, but since she had a reason, she was excited.

* * *

The day dragged on as normal. The end of the school day ended with the usual hang out of the pair of Souda and Susen. They chatted about random things to fill the silence of doing homework.

"Finished!", the writer shouted in victory.

"Lucky, I still have two more pages.", Souda pouted, resting his head in his palm.

"Aww, poor baby.", she mocked.

"Shut the fuck up.", he said with a small smile.

"Don't swear again, my mom is calling.", she said, pulling her phone to her ear.

"Hey Mom!", she said. "Yeah. Okay, I'll be out in a bit. Thanks, bye.", she said with pauses to listen, before hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?", he asked, chewing on his pen.

"My mom is taking me dress shopping today, cause I have none."

"For tomorrow?"

"No for when I'm sleeping. Of course tomorrow!", she said with a mocking tone.

"Shut up! I was just asking. So I'm guessing you're kicking me out of your room?"

"Pretty much, since you can't lock my door if you leave."

"Fair enough.", he said, gathering his various papers.

Susen grabbed her phone, headphones and slid on her shoes. Souda grabbed his things and wished her farewell.

"I guess I'll see ya later?"

"I'll probably be back before dinner so yeah!"

"Ok cool, good luck with your dresses and such."

"Quick question!", she said, stopping him. "Do you have any opinions on the dress?"

"Not really. I mean, when I was texting you that one time, you said that all your clothes were monochrome, or whatever, so you could try and look for some color I guess. But ultimately it's up to you. I'm not the one who has to wear it."

"Okay thanks."

"Why do you want me opinion?"

"Well, you're my 'date', right?"

"Fair enough, I guess.", he said, walking to his door.

She gave him a small wave, him doing the same in return. She then locked her door and made her way to the front of the school. Just as planned, her mom was waiting patiently by the front of the school. She slid into the passenger seat.

"Hey Mom.", she said.

"Hi sweetheart, how was your day?", she asked.

"Not bad, still boring." Her mother let out a laugh.

"School never seems to change, does it?", she said. Tobi let out a small giggle.

"I guess not."

The pair talked briefly while on the way to the mall. The small writer was intimidated by the large groups of stores. She thought there was no way for them to have time to look through each one. Surprisingly, her mother directed her to a very expensive store.

"Why are we going in this one? It's way too much money."

"If you actually asked for a dress, which is a miracle, I'm going to spoil you a little.", she responded with a smile.

She shrugged and accepted her reasoning. She was never into many girly things. She only owns one skirt and a small handful of makeup (that she hardly ever uses). She mainly wore men's t-shirts, big hoodies, and generally non-feminine clothing.

They searched through the store, pulling many kinds and colors of dresses for her to try on. She was a bit nervous to try on many different colors. She was used to her comfortable blacks, whites, and grays. However, she was trying on many varieties of blues, reds, and greens (the only colors she approved of).

After many struggles of denying ones before she even put it on, and trying to zip them up; she finally narrowed it down to two dresses. Her mother was stuck between the two as well as her.

"I have an Idea.", she said, grabbing her phone.

She quickly dialed Souda's number and patiently waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, Susen, what's up?", he said on the other end.

"Not much, but can you do something for me?"

"Uh, sure. Whatcha need?"

"A or B?", she said.

"What's this about?"

"Well, my mom and I are both stuck on choosing two dresses, so I have the two designated to a letter in my head. So A or B?"

"Do I get to know what they look like?"

"Nope. I'm leaving it as a surprise for tomorrow."

"Uh, okay, B, I guess."

"Ok cool. Thanks a ton!"

"No problem. So will you be back soon?"

"Probably, I might grab some flats or something but probably soon."

"Good, I really don't feel like going to dinner by myself."

"Heh, no worries. I won't be long."

"I'm glad. So, I'll see ya?"

"Yep, thanks again, see ya!"

She hung up and set her phone down. She looked to her mom and pointed to the 'B' dress. Her face lit up. Tobi hurried to get her clothes on again and they quickly bought the dress with some black ballet flats and rushed to the car.

"Why did Souda want you back so soon?", her mother asked.

"He doesn't want to have to go to dinner alone, so he wanted me to hurry."

"Tobi, are you sure that you're going, just as friends?"

"Yes, Mom. He likes someone else."

"Well, do you wish it was more than friends?", she said softly.

"...maybe a little.", she whispered.

"Honey, this is just not a happy situation, if that's what you feel."

"He's mainly just taking me so he can talk to her…", she admitted.

"Tobi…"

"What can I do? She a foreign princess who's beautiful, and proper, and just better than me!", she spat, getting highly jealous of Sonia.

"But you're his friend!"

"But he had his crush before we were friends! And he originally became friends with me, so I could help him talk to her…", her voice saddening.

"Tobi...I know it may seem bleak but don't give up. A boy's heart can change, and you must have hope."

"I can try...but I make no promises. But thanks anyway."

Her mother pulled up to the front of the school and set the car into park. Tobi looked to her mother with a still sad look. She reached over and lifted her daughter's chin up, giving her a small smile.

"Most importantly, have fun. It doesn't have to be all romantic, just have fun. Alright?", she said.

The writer nodded and leaned over to hug her, which she happily accepted. They released the embrace with smiles on their faces. Tobi grabbed her dress, which was protected by a bag, as well as her flats. She slid out of the seat and shut the door. They exchanged the familiar 'I love you' sign as she drove off.

She made her way to the entrance and walked through the empty halls to her room. When she made it to the dorm hall, she saw Souda sitting on the ground in between their room doors.

"What are you doing?", she said, catching his attention.

"There you are!", he said happily, getting up from the floor.

"Sorry, I was talking to my mom."

"No worries, I just didn't know where you were. So that's B then?", he asked, pointing to the bag in her arms.

"Yep!", she said happily.

"Do I get to see it?", he said with evident curiosity.

"Nope, it's a surprise for tomorrow~", she cooed, poking his nose.

"Aw, c'mon. Do I get a hint? Color? Style?"

"If I said what style it was you wouldn't have a clue."

"...I could look it up…"

"I'll give you a small hint."

"Really?"

"The skirt is a goes right above my knees."

"Dammit! That tells me nothing!", he said frustratedly.

"You can just imagine what it might look like till you get to see it.", she said with a small giggle, unlocking her door.

The two stepped inside and closed the door behind them. Susen hung the bag on one of the knobs of her dresser and set her shoes on the ground near it.

"It's gonna be interesting to see everyone all formal tomorrow night.", Souda said, leaning on her bed.

"Yeah, but it'll be kinda fun. Seeing everyone all fancy and all."

"Yeah, I'm wearing a freakin' suit. Isn't that weird?"

"I bet you'll look nice.", she said happily. "But, it's getting late, should we head to dinner?"

"Good point, so yeah.", he said, standing on his own again. "Is your knee gonna be okay tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I should be fine. Although, I still have to have the bandage on."

"Aww that sucks, but at least you'll be able to dance."

"There's another problem. I have no idea how to waltz or whatever."

"I kinda know how to do it. Come here.", he said, gesturing her closer. She did just that. "Do you know where your hands go?"

"Like this?", she asked, setting one of her hands on his shoulder and the other in his hand.

He rested his hand gently on her waist. He lightly nudged her closer to his chest. She did as directed and awaited further instructions.

"Good. Now, follow my lead, I'll go slow."

He lightly leaned forward, making her move back. He leaned to her right, making her move the same way. Before she knew it, she was dancing with him. He quietly hummed a common waltz tune as they danced.

"Don't watch your feet, just look at me.", he said.

She looked up from her converse and moved her eyes to his face. He began moving again and they were dancing.

"Good job, Susen. Now, for casual dancing, you kinda just sway slightly."

"Where would my arms go?", she asked. He pondered for a moment.

"I think it would probably be almost like you were hugging someone. Like the guys arms would go around the girls waist and her arms would go around his neck."

Tobi timidly reached her arms around his neck as he slid his around her waist. She could feel a slight blush covering her cheeks. He noticed it and giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You're cute when you're blushing.", he said quietly.

She teasingly shoved him away, crossing her arms, still flustered. He laughed and ruffled her hair. She fixed her fluff of hair and they walked to dinner as planned.

Later that night, she pulled out her journal and began an entry.

'_Day 9- The night before the dance. I got a dress today and some shoes for tomorrow. Souda taught me how to dance, and he got me all flustered. I'm excited for tomorrow, yet kinda sad..._'


	10. Chapter 10

Finally, it was the day. The day of the dance. The whole day was a blur to Susen due to mixtures of anxiety and excitement rushing through her. She found herself daydreaming various times. Good day dreams, and bad ones.

"Earth to Susen!", the mechanic called, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes.

She quickly snapped out of her daze and assessed her situation. She was at dinner with Souda. That's right. Her food had fallen off of her fork. She took another scoop and began eating again.

"Sorry, I keep spacing out today.", she said in between bites.

"No worries. I'm just making sure I can get you out of your trance."

"Good word.", she commented.

"Heh thanks.", he said with a side-smile.

"So I guess we're gonna get ready after we eat?", she presumed.

"Yeah, and I guess it depends on who gets ready quickest to who's room we meet at."

"It'll probably be you.", she said.

"Why's that?"

"I'm gonna try makeup so it might take a while, I don't know."

"Wow, that'll be interesting."

"I know right."

They both finished eating soon enough and headed to their rooms. Tobi rested her hands on her dresser and looked at her reflection with determination.

"It's gonna be weird. But I'm ready.", she said, taking a deep breath.

She took a quick shower and blow dried her hair. She put on some simple makeup and slid on her dress, zipping it up as far as she could. She tied a black ribbon around her waist into a bow.

She looked at herself in the mirror with slight surprise. She looked very different, but it was a good different.

Her bright red bubble dress fit her perfectly, thanks to her mother. Her hair looked fluffy and soft. Her eyes were thinly lined with eyeliner, complimented by her pale pink lips. She slipped a thin teardrop diamond necklace around her neck to emphasize her bare chest. She slid her feet into her plain black flats, contouring with her pale skin.

Her thoughts were distracted by a ring of her doorbell. She quickly opened it to reveal Souda, whom turned wide-eyed.

"Wow, Susen. You look...wonderful.", he said in astonishment.

"Aww thank you. C'mon in for a bit.", she said with a blush, letting him in.

"Do you happen to know how to tie a tie?", he said, gesturing to the awkward knot at his throat.

With closer inspection, she noticed more than just his faulty tie. His shirt was misbuttoned and his collar was bent strangely. She let out a small sigh.

"You need help, Souda.", she said, walking over to him, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Woah woah, what're you doing?"

"Your shirt is misbuttoned, not to mention not tucked in."

He looked down and noticed she was right and allowed her to continue. She laughed a little and began to fix her friend. She tied his tie with ease and tightened it up to his collarbone.

"Thanks a ton, Susen."

"No problem, but can you help me next?"

"Whatcha need?"

"On the top of the zipper, there should be a small hook and snag, can you connect them and zip it all the way up?", she said, turning so he could see. He did as he was told, zipping it.

"Done!", he said happily.

"Thanks a lot.", she said gratefully.

"No problem.", he let out a sigh. "How do I look?", he asked.

"Neat, fancy, and handsome.", she said.

"Really? Thanks.", he said with a small smile.

"How 'bout me?", she asked.

"You want me to be honest?" She nodded nervously, scared of his response. "Honestly, you look beautiful... and hot." He blushed with his last words. She blushed as well.

"Really?", she asked in surprise.

"Yeah, although, I have one question."

"Hm?"

"Where are your glasses?"

"Oh! I put in my contacts just for tonight. I normally hate them but I don't mind wearing them tonight."

"Oh ok cool. I just wanted to make sure you weren't gonna be blind at the dance."

"Heh, no I'll be fine. Thanks though."

"Well, shall we, milady~?", he said, offering the curve of his arm and a smile.

"We shall~", she said happily, sliding her arm in his.

The pair made their way to the school gym. They both began to hear muffled booms of music echoing through the halls. They both took deep breaths as they met the large double doors. They exchanged smiles before opening the doors.

The room was dimly lit with colorful lights. Loud music blared from the speakers on stage. Various refreshment tables were located at the sides on the large room. Many students were paired/grouped up in the center, dancing happily amongst each other.

"Oh my god..", Souda muttered.

Tobi looked where his wide eyes were to see Sonia. She was in a white ballgown, tiara and all, talking with Tanaka, whom was dressed in a fitted suit.

Her heart sank a little seeing Sonia. Her jealousy was nipping at her. She shrugged it off and followed Souda to where she stood.

They began to chat on how good they looked, how nice the dance is, etc. However, Susen was silent, due to the stare from Tanaka. No words, just his eyes. She offered him a small wave, to try and stop his stare somehow. He simply nodded and continued to stare. She became very uncomfortable and slightly cowered behind Souda.

They all agreed to hang out for the majority of the dance. It actually wasn't too bad. They all laughed and danced. They occasionally got excited when a song they knew came on.

The song switched to a much slower one. It was 'Say Something' by A Great Big World. Tobi looked over and saw Tanaka holding Sonia close to him, swaying calmly. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Souda offering a hand.

"May I have this dance?", he asked politely.

She nodded and took his hand. She slid her arms around his neck as he slid his around her waist. He pulled her close and began swaying as well. Susen smiled and hummed to the song while enjoying the soft dancing. She rested her head on his chest, feeling very comfortable in the moment. He rested his chin gently on her head. She lightly frowned out of his sight. She knew he didn't like her the way she did. The feeling she had for him only got stronger day by day, and it hurt. She bit her lip. She wanted him to be happy...just happy with her.

The song ended and switched to 'Medicine' by Daughter. Souda slipped away from Susen and tiptoed to the unoccupied princess. Tobi's heart sank again, seeing him offer her a bow and hand. Another tap on her shoulder caught her attention. She turned and saw Tanaka, offering a hand. She took his hand with a confused look. He pulled her into a dance position and put his lips near her ear.

"Listen well, scribe. The gods have blessed me with information you might want."

Her curiosity was now piqued. She decided to listen to that he had to say.

"It is fairly evident to most that you fancy the mechanic. The Dark Gods of Destruction have heard whispers of said man on yourself. He has stated that he realises your feelings of sort, however they are not mutual towards he. His heart to you is that of a sibling, platonic, not that of a lover. According to him, possibly never returning you wished feelings. The gods wish to bless you with gifts in your possible grief.", he stated as plain as day.

Tobi's eyes widened. Her breath got rapid. The sight of Souda and Sonia dancing, plus his words, felt like a dagger in her chest. Her arms fell from Tanaka's shoulders. She slowly backed away from him. Her face was petrified.

Souda caught the sight of the terrified girl, slowly backing away. He looked closer and saw tears in her eyes. He let go of Sonia and slowly made his way towards her. Her head shook slightly, seeing him get closer. She turned and broke into a weak run from the gym. He panicked and ran after her. Her bandaged knee prevented her from going too fast but she was still far ahead of him. Her leg suddenly cramped very badly, causing her to fall on the ground. Souda raced to her side.

"Susen, what's wrong?", he asked, very concerned.

"I'm fine, Souda.", she said, oddly calmer than she was before, getting up from the floor. "I just heard the truth I wanted to ignore."

"What does that mean?", he asked.

"Nevermind. Speaking of which, you have a princess waiting for you. Have a good time without me. Although that shouldn't be too hard…", she said, her voice shaking.

Souda stared at her, completely confused, concerned, and lost. She limped the rest of the way to her room. He simply watched her, not having a clue of what to do.

When she closed her door, Souda dropped to his knees. What did he do? What happened? Why was she so sad? Why was she so angry? Did he lose a friend..? Questions raced through his mind. He gripped his hair in his fists as he crouched against a wall.

Tobi sat in her room and cried because of her pain. Her knee and her heart. All Tanaka did was tell her the truth she wished was a lie, and it hurt.

"Dammit!", she swore loudly, punching the floor.

She swore at her tears, her pain, that she spat at Souda like that, her jealousy, all of it.

"Fuck…", she sobbed, along with a string of other swears.

Her nails dug into her scalp in frustration. She was scared.

Souda left the dance and headed straight to his room. He ripped the suit off of himself and sat in the corner of his room. He began to cry. So many fears and negative thoughts kept running through his mind. The thing that he hated the most about it was that he had no idea what happened. The thing that scared him the most is that he thought he might have lost her.

Susen thought the same thing. Did she ruin her friendship that she held so dear? She felt empty, broken, wrong. The truthful words came to her mind and she wrote it as her journal entry.

Souda thought of the same words. The same phrase that was true in that moment to them both.

"You never know what you have…", Souda said out loud.

"...until it's gone..", Susen finished, as she wrote it in her journal.


	11. Chapter 11

That night, Susen got little to no sleep. She kept tossing and turning with her thoughts running wild. She kept asking herself unanswerable questions. Was he okay? Does he feel guilty for something he didn't do? How could she talk to him tomorrow? The last question made her gasp. They always ate their meals together. They always met up and had fun. What could she do? Honestly, food didn't sound appealing to her in the slightest. But did she really want to avoid him? She doesn't want to lose their friendship, but she didn't want to bear with even the potentially awkward contact with him. Would she wait? Would she make the first move to make amends?

By the time morning came, she felt exhausted. Her eyes were heavy and darkened. She stayed in her bed most of the morning, curled up in her sheets. She switched between working on her various stories and just sitting, doing nothing. She felt numb and confused. Her writer's block was thicker than normal. She spent lots of time with her face in her pillow, groaning loudly. She felt pitiful, yet no one would give her pity.

She finally mustered up enough courage to get some food. She slipped on some real clothes and walked out of her room. She felt nervous, just to get food. What if she ran into him? What would she say? What would he say? Would they even talk? She walked to the cafeteria and went to the store to buy something she could take back to her room.

As she waited for the clerk to grab her things, she looked over and saw him. They made eye contact for about .5 seconds before he looked away and continued walking with his food. Her heart skipped a beat and she looked away as well. Her chest ached. She quickly grabbed her food and drinks and walked out. Her eyes lingered to Souda, whom seemed to be avoiding her gaze. She frowned slightly and continued to walk. She wanted to sit with him. She wanted to apologize. She wanted to be close to him again. She wanted to talk to him.

She sadly shuffled to her room, crawling into her bed. She hated being away from him. She wanted to be near him. She wanted to make him laugh. To see his smile. She wanted to be dorky with him and their small little jokes. She just wanted to have her friend back.

Souda stared aimlessly at his plate, poking his food with his fork. His chest felt heavy and hollow. He was honestly surprised to see her, he didn't know why. Should he try and talk to her? The thought that ate away at him was that he wasn't even sure what made her act the way she did. Did he truly do something terrible without knowing it? He dropped his fork and pulled his hat over his eyes. He was giving himself a headache due to the thousands of negative thoughts and questions. He had lost his appetite and threw away his food.

He rushed back to the security of his room and sat in the middle of his floor. The mechanic had decided to tinker with miscellaneous items with his music turned up. He normally did this when he needed to numb his mind.

The silent writer had run out of things to occupy herself with. She simply resorted to staring at her ceiling. She ran through what she had done. Attempted to write, gotten food, rolling in self pity, showered, gotten ice for her knee, rebandaged her knee, tidied her room. Nothing helped. All she had done was wasted a few hours. She checked the clock on her phone. 3 p.m. She turned off her light and tried to nap. It seemed fairly simple considering her lack of sleep.

Souda was engrossed in his projects. Looking at how they work, fixing what could be improved, or simply messing with its technology. His thoughts came to a stop when he felt something trace his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand and observed. A small smear of blood was easily visible on the top of his pale hand. He got up and looked in the mirror to examine it further. He looked and saw his chapped lips with a small split in the bottom one. He then remembered that when he thought too much, he would bite his lip. His sharpened teeth must have done the job then.

His mind was then vulnerable and negative thoughts infected it like a disease. He gritted his teeth and gripped his head, as if it was in dire pain. He peeked out from his wince and checked the nearest clock. 8 p.m. He wondered how it had gotten so late. It then registered in his mind that dinner was no longer being served. He swore under his breath. He was still apathetic about it, feeling no desire for food.

He clinched his fist tightly and stood up from his crouching state. He mustered up enough courage and grabbed his phone. He sat calmly on his bed and typed out the words he couldn't say aloud.

'Hey Susen...I'm not quite sure what happened last night, but I'm sorry, so so sorry. I don't care what happened, I just hope you can forgive me. You are a dear friend to me and I don't want to lose you. You mean more to me than you may think. I don't care about Sonia anymore, I just care about you, and I want you to be okay. I want to be your friend again. All in all, I am so sorry...', he typed.

He scanned the message and sent it. He only wished he knew how to say more.

Tobi had been awake for hours, and continued to stare at the ceiling, still very tired and unsatisfied with her light nap. The tone of her phone sounded with a small buzz of vibration. She quickly picked it up and saw it was a message from Souda. She froze. She was scared. She was afraid of what the message could say. Would it be what she wants to hear? Or something that will break her heart? She set her phone back on her desk and looked at it. She was too scared to find out at the moment. She wanted to know, but her paranoia stopped her dead in her tracks.

Time moved forward, quicker than it seemed. It was already 9:30 p.m. Tobi was frozen, watching her phone. Souda waited anxiously for her response. Both of them were frozen, scared of what might await them.

Soon enough, the nighttime announcement went off, snapping the both of them out of their trances. Susen gave into her inevitable actions and looked at the message. For some reason she was surprised by his words. Her expression of astonishment, turned to a warm smile. Just before she could respond to the message, her doorbell rang.

She rushed up to her door and quickly unlocked it. She caught a glimpse of Souda in his pjs.

"Susen! I'm-!", he began.

He was cut off by Tobi running into his chest and hugging him tightly. He stared at her for a moment before hugging her back, just as tight.

"I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did…", she said, her words muffled by his shirt.

He shushed her and rested his forehead on the top of her head. He gently pet her hair, soothing her and calming her.

"I should be the one apologizing, Susen. I don't know how, but I hurt you. I don't care how, but I'm sorry.", he said quietly. "I was so afraid I'd lost you…", he whispered.

"You couldn't lose me if you tried.", she said with a small giggle.

They stayed in the comfortable embrace for quite a while. It felt like perfect pieces of a puzzle, fitting together. They both enjoyed the presence of the other they missed.

"Hey, Susen, can I ask you something?"

"You just did.", she said, looking up at him. He let out a small laugh and continued on.

"Ok two things.", he started, letting her go.

"Only two? Choose wisely.", she cooed. He smiled at her small lines of humor.

"First, umm, you know how you said if I ever had nightmares I could come to you? Well, last night I kept having nightmares about you hating me and me losing you.. So, could I sleep with you tonight…?", he asked nervously. "A-And not in that way! Just-!", he stuttered with a blush.

"Hehe, of course! And number two?", she said with a giggle.

"Could I..um...call you Tobi?"

She smiled at the question and gave him another hug.

"Of course, Kazuichi.", she said happily.

She felt him let out a sigh of relief and hug her back. The both of them felt very tired. All the stress that kept them awake was gone.

"Um, Tobi? How're we both gonna sleep in here?", he asked, looking at the single bed.

She looked in the same direction and pondered, resting her finger on her chin. She thought about it a little more before snapping her fingers.

"I have an idea, but you have to trust me.", she said.

Souda nodded and followed her over to her bed. He couldn't help but blush a little bit. He got embarrassed about her saying his first name. He didn't know why, but he surely loved the sound of her saying it.

"Okay..do you mind closeness?", she asked.

"What do you mean?", he asked.

"Like...cuddly close?", she clarified, blushing slightly.

"Yeah! I mean, like, if you're okay with it.", he said with a nervous smile.

"Okay cool, cause I think that's the only way we'll fit on my small bed."

"What's the plan?", he asked, wondering how it will work.

"Okay, umm, so you lay down, like you normally would."

Souda did as he was told, enjoying the softness of her bed against his back. Susen bit her lip, nervous to see if this would work. She awkwardly maneuvered herself into her planned position. Her legs and hips slid in between his legs and she curled her upper body, on her side, into his stomach and chest.

"Am I hurting you?", she asked.

"Nope, just, uhh, don't plan on moving your waist anytime soon…", he said.

She nearly asked why, but soon realized that her waist was right about where his thighs met his hips. For obvious reasons, she decided to stay still.

"Th-that makes sense.", she stuttered, feeling more than a little flustered.

"One more thing.", he said.

"Hm?", she said, looking up at him.

"Do you mind if I kinda hold you? Like this?", he asked, resting his hand on the side of her ribs.

"Not at all, it's cozy.", she said with a yawn.

"I suppose we'll sleep now then?" She nodded.

"Can you reach the light?"

Kazuichi stretched his arm and flicked off the light. Tobi pulled the covers up to her shoulders, which was just enough to cover him too. His warm hand rested back on her side and he let out a comfortable sigh. She cuddled into his warm chest and was able to hear his calm heartbeat.

"Good night, Tobi.", he whispered happily.

"Good night, Kazuichi.", she said with the same pleasant tone.

The two both felt relief. They had each other again. They both were happy again. All was well and peaceful. They both got a very good night sleep.


End file.
